Cablegate: Vatican: Consular Issues and Iraqi Christians

VZCZCXRO9860
PP RUEHROV
DE RUEHROV #0229 2981555
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 251555Z OCT 06
FM AMEMBASSY VATICAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0541
INFO RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD 0024
RUEHTH/AMEMBASSY ATHENS PRIORITY 0004
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA PRIORITY 0008
RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN PRIORITY 0002
RUEHDM/AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS PRIORITY 0001
RUEHROV/AMEMBASSY VATICAN 0569

UNCLAS VATICAN 000229

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/WE LARREA; DRL/IRF, CA/VO

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: CVIS PGOV KIRF PHUM IZ VT
SUBJECT: VATICAN: CONSULAR ISSUES AND IRAQI CHRISTIANS

REF: VATICAN 000219

1. (U) This is an action request. See Para 4.

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Iraqi Christian Refugees Face Immigration Hurdles
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2. (SBU) As delineated in reftel, Monsignor Philip Najim,
Representative of the Chaldean Catholic Church to the Holy See,
and Bishop Ibrahim Ibrahim, the Chaldean Patriarch's First
Counselor based in Detroit, Michigan, told Poloff in a recent
meeting of the plight of Iraqi Christians and the targeted
violence he said they now face in Iraq. As a result of that
violence, many Iraqi Christians have left Iraq and resettled in
nearby countries with or without legal status, he said.

2. (SBU) Bishop Ibrahim specifically requested we look into the
situation involving pending immigrant visas to the United States
for the Chaldean expatriate communities in Jordan, Turkey,
Greece, and Syria. Ibrahim asked for our assistance in helping
reunite these refugees with their families living in the Detroit
area, indicating they had no where else to go. Significantly,
Ibrahim opined that Iraqi Christians are receiving disparate
treatment versus other immigrant groups in similar situations,
and asked us to help rectify this situation. Specifically, he
claimed that other refugee groups may not have to wait as long
as Chaldeans to receive their IVs.

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Action: Information and Talking Points - Iraqi Christian IVs
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4. (SBU) Request Department provide Post with information and
proposed talking points regarding immigrant visa (IV) processing
for Chaldean Christian expatriate communities situated in
Jordan, Turkey, Greece, and Syria. While Post assured Bishop
Ibrahim that the Chaldean Community is being treated fairly and
in accordance with U.S. laws, specific information regarding
their immigrant status and the treatment of other similarly
situated refugee groups and their IV petitions would be
appreciated.

ROONEY

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