Assyrian delegation participate in European Parliament Conference on Iraqi Turkmen and the crisis in Kerkuk

ADO Mtakasta – Brussels: On 26 and 27 March 2007, the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) and the Iraqi Turkmen Human Rights Research Foundation (SOITM), in partnership with the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) and the Nonviolent Radical Party (NRP), organized a conference entitled “Iraqi Turkmen: The Human Rights Situation and Crisis in Kerkuk”, held at the European Parliament in Brussels.

 

Two goals were focused for this conference, the history and concerns of the Iraqi Turkmen, for the first session “sources of conflict”, and “An Iraq for the future and the Crisis in Kerkuk” for the second.

During the two days, Assembled press, Parliamentarians, European leaders, and civil society activists, took part at the round table conference: Marco Cappato MEP, Committee on Foreign Affairs and Subcommittee on Human Rights, Marco Pannella MEP, Leader Nonviolent Radical Party, Jan Marinus Wiersma MEP, Vice-Chairman of the Socialist Group, Nicola Dell’Arciprete, Parliamentary Assistant ALDE Group, Marino Busdachin, UNPO General Secretary, Ken Kostyo, Director of Global Democracy Resource, Martin Schulthes, Special Programs Manager, No Peace without Justice.

 

Many prominent figures from the Turkmen community were in attendance, both from Iraq and the Diaspora, such as Muzaffer Arslan, Advisor on Turkmen Affairs to President Jalal Talabani, Ali Mehdi, Head of the Turkmen Group at the Kerkuk City Council, Sheth Jerjis, SOITM Chairman, Merry Fitzgerald, Secretary of the Representative of the Iraqi Turkmen Front in Belgium, Dr. Hassan Aydinli, Iraqi Turkmen Front Europe representative and many other Turkmen authors and editors.

 

The Iraqi Arabs were represented by a member of the Kerkuk City Council.

 

In addition, the courageous participation of Burhan Jaf, EU Representative of the Kurdish Regional Government, was appreciated by most participants at the conference.

 

The Assyrian delegation composed of Mary Younan, Executive Secretary of the Assyrian Universal Alliance (AUA), Ablahad Astepho, Rimon Youkanna and Naher Arslan from the Assyrian Institute of Europe (ASINE).

 

Mary Younan in the first day session spoke about “The Assyrians of Northern Iraq ” and clearly denounced the Arabisation and Kurdification campaigns, violation of human rights and expropriation of lands and villages of the Assyrian people in their ancestral homeland. She added that “above and beyond all ethnic and religious differences, they were all gathered as Iraqis and it is the duty of each one to ensure that basic human rights of all Iraqis are guaranteed”.

Ablahad Astepho, Director of ASINE, in his contribution during the following session expressed the “deep concern and growing alarm of the Assyrian Chaldean Syriac Communities in the Diaspora at the rapidly deteriorating situation of the ethnic and religious minorities in Iraq, specifically our Assyrian people”. He noted that “this dramatic situation touches all national, ethnic and religious groups that constitute the Iraqi society. However, the escalation of violence, since Ramadan October 2006, towards Christians in Iraq spread terror and despair within this already ravaged, persecuted and dispersed community; his high-ranking clergy and political leaders consider it as a fore phase to a final coup de grâce not only for Christians of Iraq, but also for all the Christians of the Middle East”.

Then he asked the audience to refer to “the excellent recent report of Minority Rights Group International 2007 by Preti Taneja, entitled “Assimilation, Exodus and Eradication: Iraq’s minority communities since 2003”, who draws a very dark tableau of the paysage of the human rights situation of these minorities”.      

 

 

Exposing briefly the conflicting aspects of the “brewing battle over Kerkuk”: oil riches, ethnic competition over its identity between the four main communities- Assyrian, Arab, Kurd and Turkmen, interpretation of articles 140 and 142 of the Iraqi Constitution, controversies over normalisation, census and referendum program, he concluded “that Kerkuk’s Assyrians don’t enjoy great political influence, mirroring their demographic numbers and political power nationally. But they should have a big and important role in acting as Etat de tampon, an intermediary that can play an important role in the process of facilitating a negotiated interim solution for Kerkuk’s question.

He continued “ we agree and support the International Crisis Group – Middle East Report N° 56 – 18 July 2006, and we consider that its recommendations to all Sides are a solid basis for a road map consisting of compromised arrangements which may not completely meet the vital interests or agendas of all ethnic and religious groups in Kerkuk, but at the very least it would curb if not put an end to this rapidly deteriorating situation and eventually, contain the potentially violent sectarian conflict and the spreading of civil war”.

 

He asked all participants to look at Kerkuk as “a smaller Iraq where all the components of the Iraqi society meet and contribute progressively to the suppression and/or solution of possible conflicts, to adopt principles of democracy, citizenship, cohabitation and to build together, as partners, a modern political, economic and social system, on a solid foundation based on dialogue, comprehension and mutual respect”.

Considering “the participation of all ethnic, national and linguistic communities’ in a common federal system will undoubtedly constitute a rich model and serve as a safety-valve for the future of the united federalised and lawful state of Iraq”.

 

Ablahad Astepho in his closing statement alarmed the audience “Till Kerkuk’s December 2007 deadline, we can only observe and note the fact that it is over for Yesterday’s Iraq. And now the question is: What does the future hold for Iraq, will it adopt and implement a federal system within a strong and united country or will it be fragmented in to small and vulnerable separate entities”.

 

 

 

 

At the end of the two-day meeting, prior to the press conference, a few participants attempted to open Kerkuk’s Pandora’s Box, thankfully the atmosphere of courtesy continued and this was appreciated and highlighted during the press conference.

The organizers of this conference, UNPO and SOITM, recommended an EU-appointed commission to continue dialogue and discussions started at this conference, aiming to securing a sustainable solution and preventing further conflict and confrontation.