Albert Edward Ismail Yelda ( syr, ܐܠܒܪܬ ܐܕܘܪܕ ܐܝܣܡܥܝܠ ܝܠܕܐ) (born 1959 Ramadi, Iraq) was Iraq's ambassador to the Vatican. Yelda, an ethnic
Assyrian
Assyrian may refer to:
* Assyrian people, the indigenous ethnic group of Mesopotamia.
* Assyria, a major Mesopotamian kingdom and empire.
** Early Assyrian Period
** Old Assyrian Period
** Middle Assyrian Empire
** Neo-Assyrian Empire
* Assyrian ...
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a United States-led invasion of the Republic of Iraq and the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 (air) and 20 March 2003 (ground) and lasted just over one month, including 26 ...
, Yelda dedicated himself to the legal counsel and assistance projects for the Iraqi immigrants in London, England from 1987 until 2003, when he returned to Iraq.
During his time in London, Yelda co-founded the anti- Baath organization the Iraqi Liberation Coalition with friend
Ayad Allawi
Ayad Allawi ( ar, إيَاد عَلَّاوِي ; born 31 May 1944) is an Iraqi politician. He served as the vice president of Iraq from 2014 to 2015 and 2016 to 2018. Previously he was interim prime minister of Iraq from 2004 to 2005 and the p ...
.
In early 2004, he was appointed as Iraq's 14th new ambassador to the Vatican. In November 2004, Yelda met with Pope John Paul II and talked about the situation of the Christian minority in Iraq.
Yelda has met twice with Pope Benedict XVI, once in a visit on May 12, 2005, in the Vatican and on September 25, 2006, when he joined other diplomats from the
Arab League
The Arab League ( ar, الجامعة العربية, ' ), formally the League of Arab States ( ar, جامعة الدول العربية, '), is a regional organization in the Arab world, which is located in Northern Africa, Western Africa, E ...
and other Muslim countries to find peace after the Pope's controversial comments, which has led to further persecution of Iraq's Christian minority.
In 2007 he was awarded Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Pius IX.