Hundreds of Iraqi Christian families return home

Hundreds of Christian families who fled Iraq's northern city of Mosul in fear for their lives this month have returned home in the past few days, a senior Christian lawmaker said on Tuesday.

At least 1,500 families fled the ethnically and religiously mixed city in Iraq's north, which remains more violent than the rest of the country, since a campaign of threats and attacks began this month.

Yunadim Kanna, a Christian member of parliament, said that a few hundred of those families had come back following signs that security had returned.

"The situation in these neighborhoods is quiet now and under control," Kanna said.

A top official with the Displacement and Migration Ministry in Mosul, Jawdat Ismail, told Reuters at least 80 Christian families that had returned. He said Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was offering 1 million Iraqi dinars ($800) to each family to help them resettle, if they register.

The United Nations refugee agency put the number of Christian families who have fled Mosul at more than 2,200, and says some have taken refuge in neighboring Syria.

The Christian exodus from Mosul, which was concentrated in the second and third weeks of October, began after around 12 Christians were reported killed. Others received death threats and several Christian homes were targeted in bomb attacks.

But many officials in Mosul, and the U.S. military, say that the number of confirmed attacks was small.

US opposes changes

Meanwhile, the Iraqi cabinet authorized al-Maliki to negotiate changes in the security pact with Washington that sets a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq.

Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said the cabinet approved "necessary and essential changes" to be incorporated in the deal and authorized Maliki to present them to the American side.

"Maliki is now in charge of presenting this new text to the American side," Environment Minister Nermeen Othman who attended the meeting along with her other colleagues told AFP.

Dabbagh said the changes sought in the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) were based on "opinions of the main political entities" and aimed at arriving at a deal that "preserves the sovereignty of Iraq and its national interests."

The cabinet had last week decided to seek changes to the deal, the latest draft of which already stipulates that American forces will withdraw from Iraqi cities by June 2009 and from the country by December 2011.

But the White House expressed strong resistance to amending the controversial security pact, saying "the bar will be high" for any changes to the accord.

"We have not received any changes from the Iraqis. We think this is a good agreement, therefore the bar will be high," spokesman Gordon Johndroe said.