Hollande opens Paris conference on Middle East persecuted minorities

French President Francois Hollande has opened a United Nations international conference on the victims of attacks and abuses on ethnic or religious grounds in the Middle East.

The conference opened on Tuesday in Paris and is co-chaired by Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh and French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius.

More than 100 world-leading figures, including ministers of foreign affairs, Muslim and Christian clergymen, parliamentarians and media representatives are attending the conference, which will discuss ways to boost tolerance, as well as protect and assist people whose safety and identity are threatened.

In March, the UN Security Council decided to hold the conference to discuss the issue of minorities persecuted by "terror groups", mainly the Islamic State group (IS).

About 60 nations are represented at the conference, including several countries from the Middle East, such as Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq, and Qatar, as well as a wide range of NGOs and UN agencies.

Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, who is heading his country's delegation, highlighted the serious risks posed by IS to civilians in Syria and Iraq.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari praised governments receiving Iraqi refugees.

"This is a humanitarian act that we respect and consider as a positive attitude," Jaafari said. "It is good that Germany has received Iraqi immigrants and embraced them.

"Iraqis will always remain Iraqis wherever they go, their patriotism shall extend with them, they represent Iraq; and we hope that their migration abroad will not be a prolonged one."

Jaafari also added that all Iraqi society must come together to help eliminate this "exceptional situation".

"Iraqis are the ones being targeted here, of different nationalities and religions," he said.