Brussels, 17/09/2014 (Agence Europe) -On Tuesday 16 September, the former patriarch of Mosul, Georges Casmoussa, called on the EU to help Iraq and the country's Christians and Yazidis against Islamic State (IS). He described the situation as genocide. “Is it not genocide when people are chased from their land, from their history, when they are threatened with being killed (…), when they are pushed to go into exile, to fight against their personality. Isn't this genocide?” he asked a small group of journalists (including from EUROPE) on the sidelines of a conference at the European Parliament. Casmoussa, who was patriarch of Mosul between 2000 and 2012, added that there was “physical genocide” against the Yazidis, and he spoke out about the sale of women as “war booty”. He called for those responsible for the abuse to be tried at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
In Casmoussa's view, “the Iraqi-international coalition must be strengthened in order to free the Nineveh Plain as quickly as possible so that the people can return”. “Work must be done to free the Christian towns as soon as possible”, he added, stating that “there still [was] not a serious process of liberation”.
Casmoussa, now in Lebanon, said he was in favour of arms being sent. “A land can't be liberated without having a military force”, he said. In his view, the Iraqi army and the regular Kurdish army “must receive the allies' support in arms and in techniques for working on the ground”. “It's not a speech that is going to liberate” these towns, he stressed. He also believed that young people should help in the national effort against IS.
Casmoussa wanted an “international and local guarantee” that when the Christians are able to return to their homes, they can do so in conditions of “peace”, “otherwise the other peoples will push them back and the scenario will be repeated”. In Casmoussa's opinion, without this guarantee and without “long term military presence such as an international peace force”, the people will not be able to return to their homes. “Massive immigration to the West (…) is not the final or ideal solution”, he said.
Casmoussa also highlighted the humanitarian side. Between 100,000-120,000 Christians, in other words “all the Christians on the Nineveh Plain”, have had to flee their homes. “The displaced refugees are in need of everything - especially decent habitation”, he said, stating that some refugees are even living in the soil and want temporary flats to be found for them (our translation throughout). (CG)