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No priority for Christian Iraqi refugees, says EU
Christian Iraqi refugees will not get priority in Europe's refugee program, the EU presidency said on Friday after German ministers said Europe should take them in.
- Agencies
- Published: 13:54 April 18, 2008
Luxembourg: Christian Iraqi refugees will not get priority in Europe's refugee program, the EU presidency said on Friday after German ministers said Europe should take them in.
German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble wrote in Bild am Sonntag newspaper last Sunday that he was worried about the situation of Iraq's Christian refugees.
"We must help here and offer them a home in European countries until they can return to their home," he wrote, ahead of EU justice and interior minister talks on Friday.
The interior minister for Slovenia's EU Presidency, Dragutin Mate, said the idea would be discussed but religion should not be a precondition.
"We will discuss about that but generally I believe that we must accept refugees and give them asylum ... without the precondition of religion or of anybody's race," Mate said.
More than two million Iraqis have fled to neighbouring states to escape violence in their home country.
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