April 2004/6754 On the Occasion of the Assyrian New Year

The first of Nissan (April) arrives to confirm the continuity of our people’s (Syriacs and Chaldeans) contribution and creativity, passed from one generation to another, throughout thousands of years, and with the renewal and rebirth of nature in every April we add renewed meanings and human values to our civilized legacy .

The past year was full of events and developments that shook the region and the world. Some of these events were accompanied with great changes and transformations promising the coming of a new era that will inevitably affect our country, Syria. Hence, it is necessary that the leadership in Syria reconsider and reevaluate the internal situation aiming at strengthening the internal national fabric through the solidification of a real national unity which will be effective only via implementing democratic reforms, freedom of expression and the unleashing of a national dialogue evolving different patriotic political forces with all their national and political spectrum, with an aim of reaching a national common denominator and a new national contract compatible with the nature of the new phase as well as with the balance of active socio-political powers. This should be carried out on the ground of a phased and serious national agenda for reform including the resolving of most national pending problems, such as the democratic freedoms, human rights, ethnic minorities and other problems on the basis of sovereignty and national unity .

Amidst these national, regional and international situations the 10th conference of Assyrian Democratic Organization, was held in the homeland in the mid-August 2003. It confirmed the need for more openness in the political arena, on the patriotic and democratic forces in Syria for the sake of activating the national debate and consolidating the political relaxation which the country has witnessed in the past years. Furthermore to develope it in the direction of releasing democratic freedoms, issuing of a new law regulating the activities of the political parties, combating corruption, speeding up the administrative and economic reforms, recognizing the Assyrians as original people in Syria and emphasizing their rights constitutionally ( political , cultural and social ). Finally, it confirmed that spreading the culture of fraternity among the various components of the Syrian people (Arabs , Kurds , Assyrians , Armenians and others ) and treating them as real partners in the homeland, for the sake of building a true national unity was necessary to stand up to challenges and external pressures the homeland is currently facing .
The tragic events that towns and cities in Syria’s al-Jazzire region has witnessed recently claimed the lives of tens of people and the same number of wounded and caused sabotage to public institutions and private property and found its repercussions in other Syrian cities . These events make incumbent on us as Syrians (political forces , government , institutions etc..) to reconsider cautiuosly the true basis for building unity and national identity, far from any unrealistic or extremist expositions and slogans .
In term of theses events, the Assyrian Democratic Organization has acted promptly from the outset through playing an intermediary role and holding meeting with various political, ecclesiastical and social parties in order to calm down the situation and put out the turmoil. These efforts alongside many other honest efforts bore positive results in terms of containing the aftereffects of the actions and bringing together the viewpoints among the different parties. In our opinion the best solution for passing by the crisis and its consequent effects is a political solution based on dialogue between the authority and the various political powers in the area and considering what has happened as bygone but instructive lessons must be drawn from that in order to lay a new foundation for a real national unity in the Syrian al-Jazire region, the land of prosperity, history and civilization.

As for Iraq , and after the liberation of its people with all its diverse ethnic and religious components from the dictatorial regime, the A.D.O. in association with the Chaldo-Assyrian National Council and the other active political Assyrian forces in the national and Iraqi arena have set out to mobilize the honest national efforts through convening the General Conference (Chaldean , Syriac, Assyrian ) in Baghdad in October 2003. This conference was truly a national forum and an important landmark for the struggle of our people in Iraq to attain their national rights in a new, democratic and unified Iraq. The conference highlighted the unity of the national identity of our peoples in relation to their nomination, culture and language. It also jointly raised its political, cultural and administrative demands as an original people as well as their common vision as to what the political system in the new Iraq would be and further stressing their role as an important factor in the national Iraqi equation.
After a long and difficult struggle the diverse political and ethnic Iraqi forces inside and outside the Governing Council could work out a transitional law (Transitional Constitution) last month which though fell short of the aspirations and expectations of the Iraqi people, but still can be considered a positive document laying the foundation for a free democratic and diverse Iraq. This document may temporarily meet the minimum aspirations of the Iraqi people with its different nationalities: Arabs, Assyrians (Chaldeans, Syriacs ), Kurds, Turkmen and others, and will pave the way to get rid of the prevailing anarchy, absence of security and stability as well as the occupation, ending up with achieving complete sovereignty after holding democratic elections, forming the constitutional institutions and completing the permanent constitution which we hope will be democratic, secular stressing the unity of Iraqi land and people and acknowledging our people’s rights as an original people and further guaranteeing all its national rights equally with its other national characteristics .
The presence of our people today in their historical areas in the southeast Turkey is threatened and their population remains continuously decreasing as a direct and indirect result of the genocide perpetrated during the First World War by the Turks . The A.D.O. demands that the Turkish government admit to its responsibility for these massacres which claimed the lives of half a million of innocent civilians as well as the lives of one and a half million Armenian friends. Further, the A.D.O. demands that the European Union’s acceptance of Turkey as a full member in the EU be conditional upon the Turkish government’s acknowledgment of its legal responsibility for the genocide and acceptance of all the binding obligations according to the international law resulting from this acknowledgement, such as the right of return, reclaiming the possessions, compensations and the legal and constitutional guarantees for their national rights, in addition to a formal apology to the Assyrian people for the genocide which is considered a crime against humanity .

In spite of the challenges threatening our people such as assimilation, loss of cultural identity, language and traditions, the A.D.O. throughout its branches in the Diaspora is doing its best to activate its cultural and social organizations as instruments for preserving its identity and existence and as a strong foundation for the homeland and the cause of our people in it, and further as a means of extending bridges and strengthening economic social and political ties.
Finally out of the spirit of this occasion which is a part of our country’s civilized legacy, an occasion which we hope will become a national day in the near future, we extend to all our people in the homeland and the Diaspora as well as to our partners in the homeland our warmest congratulations hoping that the new year will be a year of peace and stability for our region, homeland and our people.
Congratulations and best wishes.

 

Assyrian Democratic Organization
Political Bureau

 

 

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