Sorry, but I am going to go off topic for one post because of a real Christmas Miracle

On August 24th 2004, Janneke Schoonhoven, the mother of Sara and Ammar (then approx. 9 and 11) reported that he children were kidnapped by their birth father during the vacation they spent with him in his native country of Syria.

While they were with him, the father took the passports of the children and decided against the wishes of his children, that they from that point onwards would stay and live with him in Syria. The children were being held against their wishes in Syria and there was nothing the mother (who had full custody of the children) could do. Syrian law only recognizes the right of the father in custody issues.

Janneke fortunatly was able to occasionally be in contact with her children, but was not allowed to take them home with her.

On July 6th 2006, the children escaped the watchful eye of their father and with a taxi they fled to the dutch embassy in Damascus.

Since that date they have been staying in the embassy building (facilities were made for them there, including a dutch teacher to give them daily private lessons) because they could not leave there out of fear of being taken back to their father. Their father has accused the dutch government and the dutch embassy personnel of kidnapping his children. He even said his children did not want to leave him or Syria (instead of returning home to their classmates and their mother).

But there was no doubt the children wanted to get the hell out of Syria and away from their father. Sara even wrote to the Queen and the prime minister saying how badly she wanted to go home (and her brother too) and that they would rather stay alone at the Embassy for ever rather than go back to her father.

For the past five and a half months the dutch government and the Syrian government have been negotiating the release of the children. Special envoys have been sent, negotiation teams have been deployed, but the Syrians (government) refused as long as the father did not agree to let the children leave.

A few weeks back the Minister of Foreign Affairs himself flew to Syria to negotiate for the release of Sara and Ammar. He said he hoped that they would return home to the Netherlands this year.


Christmas Miracle

When I turned on the TV this morning, the first item on the news was that Sara and Ammar's father has finally agreed to let the children leave. The children have already been loaded upon an airplane home for the Netherlands and in about 1.5 hours from now (15.00 hours dutch time) they will land on Schiphol Airport and they will be spending Christmas with their mother (and their dutch family).

Everybody in the Netherlands is very happy to finally have them home.


Natalee

this year it will most likely be too late for a Christmas Miracle for Beth, Jug, Robin and Dave (and the rest of their families) so let us wish (and for those of religious persuasion pray) that this is the last Christmas that they will be wondering what happened to Natalee and that in 12 months time they will have the answers they so richly deserve to know.


Last but not least

I would like to Wish all the readers of this blog and the readers/posters on Blogs For Natalee a very Merry Christmas and a year in which all your wishes may come true.

I also want to extend a special thank you to Debbie and her trusted and hard working band of mods who keep Blogs for Natalee functioning.

And a special thought on this Christmas for Beth, Robin, Jug, Dave, their families and all the other people in the world who have to celebrate Christmas without their loved one(s).

Gelukkig Kerstfeest from Rammstein



ps. no, it is not my cat LOL