Testimony of Ambassador Lawrence E. Butler
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State
for Near Eastern Affairs
U.S. Department of State
Before the House Foreign Affairs Committee
Subcommittees on the Middle East and South Asia
And International Organizations, Human Rights, and Oversight
March 11, 2008
Chairman Ackerman, Chairman Delahunt, and distinguished members of the Committees, thank you for providing me the opportunity to testify today on Iraq’s minority communities.
The land that constitutes present-day Iraq, an area historically known as Mesopotamia, was home to the world’s first known civilization and has been called home by numerous peoples since then. Some of them, like the Assyrians, Yezidis, and Sabean-Mandaeans, continue to live in Iraq today. These communities have been living in this area for centuries. Iraq’s richness in history, cultures, and peoples is cherished by the Iraqi people and is an asset that the Government of Iraq and the United States Government are working to preserve.
Preserving Iraq’s communities has not been easy. The violence that the country has witnessed in the past couple of years has affected all Iraqis, leading to displacements, threats, and, in some cases, deaths. Iraq’s religious and ethnic minority communities have not escaped the violence and, at times, have become targets themselves.
The Department of State is committed to working with minority leaders, the Government of Iraq, and Iraq’s provincial governments to safeguard the future of Iraq’s minority communities. The Department places a priority on minority issues. In January 2008, in connection with language included in the omnibus appropriations bill, the Department named Dr. Richard J. Schmierer as Special Coordinator for Iraq’s Minority Communities. Dr. Schmierer, a Senior Foreign Service Officer of the rank Minister-Counselor, is the Director of the Department’s Office of Iraq Affairs. Dr. Schmierer has created an intra-departmental working group that also includes Department of Defense officials to focus on issues faced by religious minority communities in Iraq.
Dr. Schmierer, other Department officials, and I meet and discuss concerns with clerical and secular representatives of the Sabean-Mandaean community, Yezidi spiritual and community leaders, and representatives of Chaldo-Assyrian groups in the United States, as well as representatives of individual Chaldean and Assyrian groups. I personally have met with Chaldean representatives in the Detroit and Los Angeles areas in the past four months.
In Iraq, officials from our Embassy and our Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Ninewa meet regularly with representatives of religious and ethnic minority groups to discuss issues confronting their communities and try to address their concerns. Ninewa province is home to large numbers of Chaldeans, Assyrians, Yezidis, and Shabaks, and our PRT has frequent interaction with these communities and their leaders.
These meetings provide open channels of dialogue between the USG and minority communities, and we make it a priority to maintain this unfiltered dialogue. In these meetings, leaders and representatives of minority groups often express urgent concerns about their safety and security, humanitarian and development assistance for their communities, and their role and voice in Iraqi politics. I would like to address each of these concerns in turn.
Security
A safe and secure Iraq is one of the primary goals of the USG and the Government of Iraq. In the past several months, we have seen dramatic improvements in security in Baghdad and surrounding provinces. As we know, however, the security situation in the country was significantly different two years ago. In February 2006, the al-Askariya mosque was bombed in Samarra. The destruction of this revered Shi’a holy site sparked a deadly spiral of sectarian and generalized violence that persisted well into 2007. This violence affected all Iraqis, irrespective of their ethnic or religious background. While it is true that in some cases religious minorities, including many Christian communities, were targeted due to their religion, in general, even those in the majority nationally often found themselves targeted in communities where they were in the minority. Thus, Shi’a residing in Sunni majority areas were threatened, and vice versa.
The violence led to large-scale displacements throughout the country, and caused many to take refuge outside of Iraq. Many members of the Christian communities in Baghdad and southern Iraq moved north, or left the country altogether. The Sabean-Mandaean community, once concentrated south of Baghdad, is now scattered in pockets along eastern Iraq. Movements of members of these communities, as well as of Sunni and Shia Iraqis, have changed the sectarian make-up of neighborhoods in Baghdad and other parts of the country.
Fortunately, since last fall the security situation has been improving in Iraq. However, acts of violence do still occur, including against minority communities. In August 2007, for example, bombings of Yezidi villages in northern Ninewa province by al-Qaida claimed over 300 lives and left more than 700 people wounded. The Iraqi government, Coalition Forces, and USG implementing partners took immediate action to provide assistance and relief to the affected villages. In early January, bombings struck several Christian churches. The Government of Iraq issued a statement condemning the bombings. Just ten days ago a Chaldean Archbishop was kidnapped. All of these incidents occurred in or around Mosul, which is currently the epicenter of the struggle to expel al Qaeda from Iraq.
Some minority groups have called for the creation of local security forces for their communities. Local citizen watchgroups, known as Sons of Iraq, have had success in improving local security in some areas of the country. We have advised minority groups interested in this idea to work through the Department of Defense and the Iraqi Ministry of Interior. Any effort towards the creation of local security forces for minority communities must proceed with the awareness that the USG and GoI are working on plans to transition members of existing Sons of Iraq groups to civilian employment or to recruitment into Iraqi security forces. Iraq’s long-term security will be best assured when there is one unified national security structure in the country with forces loyal to the Iraqi nation. Long-lasting security for minority groups can only be achieved as current gains in security become more permanent. To that end, the USG continues to work with Iraqi security forces to build their capabilities and effectiveness.
Some of the minority groups with whom we have met have expressed concerns about the level of humanitarian and development assistance reaching members of their communities in Iraq. In November 2007, the Department submitted to Congress a report describing the assistance that we are providing to an area in northern Ninewa province known as the Nineveh Plain region. This region is comprised primarily of two districts, Al-Hamdaniya and Tilkaif, which are predominately Christian. Before I quote from the report, I would like to note that USG assistance is not distributed or tracked based on ethnic identity or religious affiliation. Rather, assistance is targeted to areas and regions on the basis of need.
Our report last year found that “of the nine districts in Ninewa Province, Al-Hamdaniya and Tilkaif rank fourth and fifth in total assistance received and fourth and sixth respectively in per capita assistance received.” These two districts received approximately $31.3 million in USG funds for the period 2004-2007.
We continue to monitor needs in Ninewa to ensure that all areas receive the appropriate level of assistance. USAID is working in the Ninewa Province to carry out a number of programs through our implementing, NGO partners. Several of USAID’s most prominent and comprehensive programs are being implemented in Ninewa Province, including: National Capacity Development, which builds the capacity of the Government of Iraq to deliver public services; the Community Action Program, which strengthens links between communities and their government; the Community Stabilization Program, which employs and/or provides job training skills to young men to reduce incentives to participate in sectarian violence; and humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable in Ninewa.
In addition, our creative and courageous PRT in Ninewa is not only encouraging minority communities to submit community-level project proposals for funding consideration under a variety of programs, but also working with leaders and organizations in these communities to develop ideas and initiatives.
Political
Minority groups are also legitimately concerned about their place in the dynamic political scene in Iraq, both nationally and locally. As minorities in a country with a relatively new government focused on establishing security, these groups must engage proactively and energetically in the political arena in order to have their voices heard. The USG plays a facilitating role by channeling their concerns to appropriate Iraqi government officials. The national government is sensitive to the concerns of minority communities. For example, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has offered to work with Iraqi Christian leaders to channel assistance to Christian communities.
At the local level, some minority communities are frustrated that their local councils are not adequately representative or responsive to their needs. USAID’s Community Action Program works to address these concerns by connecting communities with their local councils to carry out agreed upon projects. The USAID program helps to address immediate needs. Provincial elections, however, will provide a more lasting solution, as local populations will have the opportunity to vote for members of their provincial councils. The USG is strongly encouraging the Iraqis to hold provincial elections in 2008 and is working with GoI leaders to ensure they happen as soon as possible in a fair and transparent manner.
Iraq, the “Cradle of Civilizations,” has nurtured many peoples throughout its history. We want to see Iraq maintain its legacy and not become bereft of the diversity of its peoples and cultures. We are working with the Iraqi government and Iraqi people to preserve this great and diverse society.