Kanna: Iraq’s Council of Ministers decided on Jan. 21, 2014, to change the status of the Ninevah Plains — which is situated in the northern Iraqi governorate of Ninevah — from a province to a governorate. But the security situation that has gripped Iraq since June 10, 2014, and the Islamic State [IS] overrunning the province, delayed the implementation of procedures to transform it from a province to a governorate.
Said Cabinet decision was based on demographic and not religious or sectarian grounds; whereby, prior to IS’ control of the province, its inhabitants were estimated to total half a million people. In addition, the Ninevah Plains hold special symbolism for Christians in its capacity as a remnant of ancient Ninevah.
Al-Monitor: Do you envision the institution of local or international protection for Christians in Iraq? Do you have aspirations that go beyond the Ninevah Plains, with other regions being declared exclusively Christian?
Kanna: We never stopped calling for Christians to be protected here and abroad. That is part of our right to live in our homeland — with such calls for protection including the governorates of Ninevah and Salahuddin. But grievances concerning the so-called disputed territories between the central government in Baghdad and the one in Erbil hindered moving forward with those plans.
We have inherited an old problem that delayed embarking on many a step, due to Saddam Hussein’s regime Arabizing areas inhabited by Kurds and Turkmens. In truth, all these disputes must be resolved pursuant to Article 140 [of the constitution] — for, if the parties failed to resolve them, they shall be referred to international arbitration, or to the United Nations if arbitration also failed.
We think that this problem must be resolved as quickly as possible, otherwise Iraq’s problems will only be exacerbated and greater conflicts will ensue — which will affect all Iraqis. Minorities will be the most affected, as well as Arabs living in Kurdish areas, because there are some over there who view them as minions of Saddam.
Al-Monitor: Is there backing from specific countries or the Vatican for the anticipated Ninevah Plains governorate or to a broader Christian plan in Iraq?
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