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| Russia's Lavrov says crimes against Mideast Christians 'genocide' |
| 2015-03-03 |
| [Al Ahram] Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday crimes committed against Christians in the Middle East were tantamount to "genocide", joining other high-ranking diplomats in calling for action. Like other minorities, Christians have been the target of brutal violence waged by jihadists in countries such as Libya or Syria. "There are awful crimes, Christians are killed, they are burnt alive, 21 Egyptian Copts have been beheaded in Libya, all these are signs of genocide following the definition of the UN," Lavrov said on the sidelines of the main annual session of the United Nations ...aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society... Human Rights Council in Geneva. He added that Christians were also persecuted in Ukraine, where "three priests have been killed, many fled to Russia." Gebran Bassil, the Lebanese foreign minister, also painted a dark picture of the situation of Christians in the Middle East. "Twenty years ago, in Iraq, there were one million Christians, in 2014, there were 400,000 and today, 200,000," he said. "Cases of violence have strongly increased, as have reported cases of collective rapes as punishment. "There are a lot of trafficking cases of children and women," he added, asking whether Christians would one day feel obliged to leave the Middle East altogether. "It is time to take action," he said. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #6 See REUTERS, TOPIX > CHINA DIPLOMAT TELLS WEST TO CONSIDER RUSSIA'S SECURITY CONCERNS OVER UKRAINE | ... ... ABANDON "ZERO-SUM" MENTALITY AGZ RUSSIA. Again, RUSSIA = fears ISLAMIST HARD BOYZ THREAT, NUKE-ARMED ASSERTIVE "NEO-OTTOMAN" TURKEY, + NUKE-ARMED ASSERTIVE GERMANY. This AM can also add ... * DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > ISIS EYE ON TURKMENISTAN'S GAS AND OIL? * SAME > [Afghan]ENVOY: ISIS GATHERING/ASSEMBLING FORCES IN NORTHERN AFGHANISTAN FOR CENTRAL ASIA AND RUSSIA ATTACKS. Not that far from XINJIANG = WESTERN CHINA. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2015-03-03 21:47 |
| #5 I would smile if Russia moved in. Maybe laugh a bit. Just need to up the fracking. |
| Posted by: 3dc 2015-03-03 09:37 |
| #4 The Russian Orthodox Church technically is guardian for several shrines in the ME/Holy Lands. It would indeed be interesting to see them exert their historic 'responsibilities'. Yes, might have to start at Constantinople first. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2015-03-03 08:59 |
| #3 The Gulf states would support no Christians in the middle east. We should ban Islam in the West. |
| Posted by: paul 2015-03-03 07:29 |
| #2 Think Constantinople, Mistic. Constantinople = Second Rome. Russia = third (according to them). |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2015-03-03 06:41 |
| #1 It would be most ironic if Russia used the genocide/persecution of Christians in the ME as an excuse to take the lead in battling the scourge of ISIS et al. From persecuting Christians and Jews to defending them to actively participating in the battle...hmmmm....is this what leading from the front might look like? Or do we still have to look toward France for that model of behavior? |
| Posted by: Mystic 2015-03-03 00:14 |