Al Qaeda is keen to strike the symbols of Christianity because they represent the idea of tolerance, democracy and freedom, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini told Vatican Radio on Friday.
Frattini, who visited Baghdad on Thursday, said Iraqi leaders had voiced concern over the unabated terrorist threat, especially against Christian sites.
''Al Qaeda terrorists are interested in attacking the symbols of Christianity because these represent tolerance, democracy and the path to freedom,'' he said.
Frattini added that Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki had assured him during their meeting that Iraq had a duty to ''defend Christians, who were the first to arrive in this country''.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari also assured him that the Iraqi government has ''taken actions to safeguard'' religious minorities, especially in Mosul, an important historic centre for the Catholic Assyrian Church of the East where the prophet Jonah is buried and which has the highest proportion of Christians of all the Iraqi cities.
''Fortunately, the Iraqi government and the president have a very clear idea of the strategic, cultural, religious as well as political role played by Christians and (the importance)of making sure they remain in the country and be given protection,'' Frattini said.
Frattini said he had told Iraqi leaders that Italy is determined to help and to step up its efforts for the country while increasing its attention to the welfare of the Christian community.
''They are very aware of our concern''.
Thousands of Christians fled their homes in Mosul in recent months following a spate of Christian killings which prompted al-Maliki to send extra police to the city. There are currently around 35,000 police and army troops in Mosul.
Around 16 Christians have been killed since the beginning of October, according to media reports, including two sisters who were shot dead on Tuesday by a gang of armed men.
Before American's invasion of Iraq in 2003 there were some 800,000 Christians living in the country, but around 250,000 are estimated to have since fled the country.
