From Totalitarianism to Democracy: Reconciliation and Accountability in Iraq - Creating a Space for Consultation

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Iraq reconciliation conference in Arbil ends today
Alsumaria TV, Saturday, May 09, 2009, 08:07 GMT
Iraq reconciliation conference held in Arbil comes to an end today following workshops that stressed the necessity to introduce the Iraqi community into a strong built culture of forgiveness and fraternal coexistence.
 
 

 

Arbil Conference calls to deal with reconciliation and accountability
Alsumaria Iraqi TV, Monday, May 11, 2009 07:54 GMT
The Final Communiqué of Arbil conference for reconciliation and accountability called to deal with these issues within a national strategy. The Conference evoked a number of major issues mainly oil and gas law in addition to compensations of people damaged due to the crimes committed during the former regime.
In a separate context, Kurdistan leader Massoud Barazani received in Arbil a delegation from Al Sadr Front. Both sides discussed political developments as well as hindrances before the political process. 

PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
 
IAJ and NPWJ organize a Conference on Reconciliation and Accountability in IRAQ
PUKmedia, 06-05-2009, 13:01:46
http://pukmedia.com/english/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10802&Itemid=1
 
Democrazia in Iraq: politici Iracheni e associazioni internazionali a confronto
Il meeting si terrà a Erbil (Kurdistan)
Newsitaliapress, 07.05.2009, 16:05:23
http://www.newsitaliapress.it/pages/dettaglio.php?id_lnk=7_150863
 
Sotaliraq, News Agency in Kurdish
http://www.sotaliraq.com/iraqnews.php?id=41021
 
National reconciliation conf. kicks off in Arbil
Aswat al-Iraq, May 7, 2009 - 08:54:08
http://en.aswataliraq.info/?p=112747
ARBIL / Aswat al-Iraq: The national reconciliation conference started in the city of Arbil with the participation of the President of the Kurdistan region Massoud Barzani.
Several Iraqi and Kurdish officials, including the first Deputy Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament’s Khaled al-Attiya, are taking part in the conference which is being held under the title “the peace and accountability conference in Iraq.”
 
Kurds host reconciliation conference
UPI, by Daniel Graeber, May 7, 2009 at 3:57 PM
http://www.upi.com/Emerging_Threats/2009/05/07/Afghans-protest-civilian-casualties-Kurds-host-reconciliation-conference/UPI-23181241726249/2/
Officials from the Baghdad central government joined their Kurdish and foreign counterparts in Erbil for a three-day summit on national reconciliation.
The Iraqi and Kurdish parliaments, central and regional government officials and a delegation from Italy and Greece met in Erbil for a conference the Kurdistan Regional Government titled "From Totalitarianism to Democracy."
Speaker of the KRG Parliament Adnan al-Mufti addressed attendees, saying reconciliation required comprehensive measures not only from Iraq but from the international community, the Voices of Iraq news agency reports.
"The reconciliation process requires that people participate," he said. "Democracy in Iraq requires strong relations with neighboring countries."
Tensions remain high between the KRG and the central government in Baghdad. Both are at odds over the administrative authority in the so-called disputed territories in Iraq, which include parts of Ninawa and Diyala provinces.
Those tensions nearly erupted into violence last summer as Iraqi forces met with the Kurdish Peshmerga in the city of Khanaqin in the north of Diyala province.
The United Nations has intervened in an attempt to settle constitutional measures enacted to mediate those disputes, but recent U.N. reports were met with opposition over some of their recommendations.
The lingering dispute is complicating Iraq's regional ties -- notably in the oil sector, where exports are inhibited by a failure to agree on a national hydrocarbon law.
The reconciliation conference is expected to last into the weekend.
 
Reconciliation in Iraq concerns whole region, says former Sudanese PM
Aswat al-Iraq, May 7, 2009 - 10:06:47
http://en.aswataliraq.info/?p=112752
ARBIL / Aswat al-Iraq: Former Sudanese Prime Minister al-Sadeq al-Mahdi said on Thursday that achieving the national reconciliation in Iraq concerns the whole region.
Addressing the National Accountability and Reconciliation Conference that started its work today (May 7) in Arbil, al-Mahdi said “the subject the conference is tackling concerns all of us in the region and it means to move from tyranny into accountability and democracy because this issue is not a special case in Iraq its a general issue and the conference witnesses a largest participation from several Iraqi figures and other international personalities.”
“It makes me happy to learn that Iraq opened a new page and is looking for a better life,” he added.
He expressed hope to benefit from the Iraq experience in various domains.
The conference started its work at Martyr Saad’s Hall in Arbil city in the presence of Kurdistan region President Massoud Barzani, 200 political figures in Iraq, members of Iraqi and Kurdistan region parliaments, representatives of foreign embassies, consulates and international organizations and representatives from the Italian and Greek governments.
The conference was organized by the International Alliance for Justice Organizations in cooperation with Iraqi and Kurdistan region parliaments and will be lasted for three days.
 
 
Reconciliation Conference begun in Arbil
kurdsat.tv, 8/5/2009
http://kurdsat.tv/E_Zyatir.aspx?CoriHewal=Kurdistani&Rizbendi=2799
The accountability and reconciliation conference under the name of (from totalitarianism to democracy, accountability and reconciliation in Iraq, creating an atmosphere for consultation) began on Thursday 7, in Arbil.
The conference was organized by the heads of the International Alliance for Justice in cooperation and coordination with the Kurdistan Parliament and Iraqi Parliament.
A number of local, regional and international officials participated in the conference which was opened by the President of Kurdistan Region Masoud Barzani in presence of Kurdistan Parliament speaker Adnan al-Mufti, more than 200 political figures in Iraq and 50 members of the Iraqi parliament and members of the Kurdistan Parliament. It will last three days.
 
 
Erbil hosts reconciliation: Fruitless task
Kurdish Globe, Friday, 8 May 2009, 02:31 EDT
http://www.kurdishglobe.net/displayArticle.jsp?id=BA11514AA1B7BA105F6650EE0883D928
By Azad Aslan, Globe Editorial
The National Accountability and Reconciliation Conference began in Erbil last Thursday. More than 200 political figures in Iraq, members of Iraqi and Kurdistan region parliaments, representatives of foreign embassies, consulates and international organizations and representatives from the Italian and Greek governments participated in the conference. The conference was organized by the International Alliance for Justice Organizations in cooperation with Iraqi and Kurdistan region parliaments.
There were a number of crucial speeches made by key political figures with regard to the necessity of reconciliation process in Iraq in order to stabilize and improve living standard and security for the entire Iraqi population. Adnan Mufti, the speaker of Kurdistan Parliament during his address to the conference said that Iraq is in need of a comprehensive reconciliation process and that the participation of people for the process is a must. "The reconciliation process requires that people participate. Terror should be encountered ideologically and socially." He further added that "democracy in Iraq requires strong relations with neighboring countries."
Sadeq al-Mahdi, former Sudanese Prime Minister, attended the conference and emphasized the regional importance of reconciliation process. "The subject the conference is tackling concerns all of us in the region and it means to move from tyranny into accountability and democracy because this issue is not a special case in Iraq it's a general issue and the conference witnesses a largest participation from several Iraqi figures and other international personalities." He optimistically stated that "it makes me happy to learn that Iraq opened a new page and looking for a better life."
Iraq"s Deputy Speaker of the parliament Sheikh Khaled al-Attiya said that "the conference aims at evaluating the recent achievements in Iraq from legislations and political developments. The political leaders have faced several challenges, mainly in establishing a new Iraq and improving the security situation in the country."
It is indeed crucial to note that Iraq is in need to find a way to reconcile its various groups" differing and mostly opposing interests and objectives. The question to ask is whether such conflicting intentions and aims can be reconciled? The answer to this very question, contrary to the speakers at the conference, is not so bright.
The major problem that has to be resolved in post-Saddam Iraq is the national question. In other word the place of the Kurdish nation in new Iraq that is supposedly established on mutual interests of two main national groups that constitute Iraq, in effect, the Kurds and Arabs.
It is true that Iraq has got rid of Saddam"s tyranny and managed to rewrite a new constitution in order to make the country more democratic and peaceful for its people. Iraqi constitution has all the roadmaps to provide basis for all the national, religious and ethnic groups to live together in peace while each component enjoys their own religious and national rights without state"s harassment as was the case before.
The real dilemma in Iraq today is about implementing the constitution properly. Old mentalities, habits and the attractiveness of power for those that hold it prevents Iraq to flourish on a new democratic basis. To put it simpler the dominant group in Iraq, the Arabs, still behave as the dominant nation over the others and have no respect for the constitution that they undersigned it.
As I have written before, since the formation of Iraq after the First World War by the British Empire the main conflict has always been the clash between Iraqi Kurds and Arab dominated Iraqi central government. Decades of struggle and war of the Kurds against the central governments pushed Kurds further towards their national rights and ended the oppression and humiliation at the hands of Iraqi central state. This is still true even today despite the fact that the Kurds have taken serious role in setting up a new Iraqi state following the demise of the Baathist regime after the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.
The current Arab political actors" behavior, particularly that of the Iraqi Prime Minister, al-Maliki and the practice of Hadba list in Ninewa province following the local elections, clearly indicate that the Arabs are not ready to perceive the Kurds as their equal partner and not ready to share sovereignty and power with them.
Unless the Arabs and their political representatives learn to see the Kurds as their equal partners in Iraq"s political affairs, reconciliation in Iraq would be an impossible task with no real outcome. The participants at the conference must concentrate on how to change dominant mentality of the Arabs in Iraq in order to accommodate all other non-Arab groups in the country.
The conference should realize that without the Kurds receiving their share of power and sovereignty any efforts to reconciliation in Iraq would be a fruitless endeavor and a total waste of time.
 
 
Iraq - Excluding Baathists from national reconciliation ‘legal’, says lawmaker
Peyamner News Agency (PNA), 8-May-09 [15:58]
http://www.peyamner.com/details.aspx?l=4&id=123453
PNA -ARBIL - Lawmaker from the Kurdistan Alliance (KA), Muhsen al-Saadon, said on Friday that the national reconciliation realized great successes in the past stage, noting that excluding Baathists from it is legal and constitutional.
“The Iraqi constitution and laws ban Baathists’ inclusion in the national reconciliation as a result of crimes they perpetrated against the Iraqi people,” al-Saadon told Aswat al-Iraq news agency on the sidelines of the National Accountability and Reconciliation Conference in Arbil.
“The ruling system in Iraq is different than any ruling system in the whole region because it’s a constitutional parliamentary democratic system needs the Iraqi people’s support,” he said, adding that on this base a number of reconciliation conferences were held and all blocs and parties took part in them, except the Baath party, asserting that the exclusion of Baathists is completely legal and constitutional.
 
 
Excluding Baathists from national reconciliation 'legal', says lawmaker
Zawya, 08 May 2009
http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20090509053207/Excluding%20Baathists%20from%20national%20reconciliation%20'legal',%20says%20lawmaker%20
ARBIL: Lawmaker from the Kurdistan Alliance (KA), Muhsen al-Saadon, said on Friday that the national reconciliation realized great successes in the past stage, noting that excluding Baathists from it is legal and constitutional.
"The Iraqi constitution and laws ban Baathists' inclusion in the national reconciliation as a result of crimes they perpetrated against the Iraqi people," al-Saadon told Aswat al-Iraq news agency on the sidelines of the National Accountability and Reconciliation Conference in Arbil.
"The ruling system in Iraq is different than any ruling system in the whole region because it's a constitutional parliamentary democratic system needs the Iraqi people's support," he said, adding that on this base a number of reconciliation conferences were held and all blocs and parties took part in them, except the Baath party, asserting that the exclusion of Baathists is completely legal and constitutional.
© Aswat Aliraq 2009
 
 
Baathists must be included in national reconciliation – official
Aswat al-Iraq, May 9, 2009 - 05:19:27
http://en.aswataliraq.info/?p=112855
ARBIL / Aswat al-Iraq: A Kurdish official on Saturday said that Iraq’s problems can never be solved without a comprehensive national reconciliation, which, he said, must expand to include Baathists.
“All parties have to accept the Baathists’ return to politics as the country’s problems can never be solved without an overall national reconciliation,” the culture minister in the autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan region told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
“However, a fair trial has to be guaranteed for Baathists involved in crimes (against the Iraqi people). The Baathists themselves have to reconsider their position and practice self-criticism,” the minister said.
He added that he expressed that opinion during a conference on reconciliation, currently in session in the Kurdish city of Arbil.
“This is my own opinion that I raised during the conference but most Kurdish, Shiite and Sunni participants and even some Baathists have rejected it,” he added.
 
 
Iraq reconciliation conference in Arbil ends today
Alsumaria TV, Saturday, May 09, 2009, 08:07 GMT
http://www.alsumaria.tv/en/Iraq-News/1-31400-Iraq-reconciliation-conference-in-Arbil-ends-today.html
Iraq reconciliation conference held in Arbil comes to an end today following workshops that stressed the necessity to introduce the Iraqi community into a strong built culture of forgiveness and fraternal coexistence.
Play movie:
http://www.alsumaria.tv//get_news_video.php?nv_id=767&lng=en
 
 
The final statement of the Conference of Arbil, the Iraqi government demanded an apology for the crimes of the former regime
Khabar News Agency – Arbil, Sunday, 10-05-2009 01:35 am
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&sl=ar&tl=en&u=http://www.khabaar.com/news.php%3Faction%3Dview%26id%3D1534&prev=_t&rurl=translate.google.com
The statement said the conference held in Erbil for three days with dozens of parliamentary and political figures, advocating the need for conferences that commitment to justice for all victims of crimes of the former regime, and to make efforts with the members of the former regime and the militias in order to integrate them into the draft to rebuild Iraqi society, with no amnesty for the perpetrators may be who have committed crimes against Iraqi civilians. Paragraph statement included 40 student participants need to work on the application for the success of national reconciliation, it was the most prominent of the Iraqi government called for an apology for the genocide and war crimes committed by the former regime, the right of Iraqi citizens as well as addressing corruption in government institutions, and the expulsion of Iraq from regional conflicts and international armed groups to resolve the file and militias in accordance with the Constitution and the laws in force, and the issuance of documentary data for the former regime's crimes against the Iraqi people. Arbil, the Conference for Peace and accountability in Iraq, which lasted for three days, concluded on Saturday with dozens of political leaders in Iraq, Deputy Parliament Speaker Khalid al-Attiya, the final time that the of the Conference will be issued later in the evening on Saturday. And was a member of the Alliance of Kurdistan, Talabani revealed A'Ala mentioned that the International Alliance for Justice in cooperation with the Governments of Italy and Greece is calling for the convening of this conference, which plans to place several months ago.
 
 
Erbil conference participants submit recommendations to Cabinet and Parliament
Al Sabaah, Sunday, May 10
http://www.alsabaah.com/paper.php?source=akbar&mlf=copy&sid=82496
The Parliament's First Deputy's Press Counselor said in a press statement that the participants in Erbil conference would submit, at the end of the conference's works today their important recommendations to the Cabinet and the Parliament. He showed that those recommendations are concerned with consolidating the national reconciliation and maintaining the Counting and Justice Law. He pointed that nine specialized workshops consist of political and Parliament's personalities devoted their efforts to discuss the mechanisms of maintaining the national reconciliation and Counting and Justice Law.
 
Arbil Conference calls to deal with reconciliation and accountability
Alsumaria Iraqi TV, Monday, May 11, 2009 07:54 GMT
http://www.alsumaria.tv/en/Iraq-News/1-31459-Arbil-Conference-calls-to-deal-with-reconciliation-and-accountability.html#
The Final Communiqué of Arbil conference for reconciliation and accountability called to deal with these issues within a national strategy. The Conference evoked a number of major issues mainly oil and gas law in addition to compensations of people damaged due to the crimes committed during the former regime.
In a separate context, Kurdistan leader Massoud Barazani received in Arbil a delegation from Al Sadr Front. Both sides discussed political developments as well as hindrances before the political process.
Play movie:
http://www.alsumaria.tv//get_news_video.php?nv_id=772&lng=en
 
President Barzani reaffirms commitment to Iraqi unity, calls for building trust
Kurdish Globe, Monday, 11 May 2009, 09:22 EDT
http://www.kurdishglobe.net/displayArticle.jsp?id=8B3C2A502B28A09DB6B8DB0062BFC4F0
Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani said at a conference in Erbil that Iraq suffers from a formidable problem, which is a lack of trust among the various political groups. He said priority should be placed on rebuilding that trust.
The three-day conference, which has been organised jointly by the International Alliance for Justice and the Iraqi and Iraqi Kurdistan parliaments, started its work today in Erbil under the banner: "National Accountability and Reconciliation, From Totalitarianism to Democracy".
The over 200 participants included Khalid Attiya, the deputy speaker of the Iraqi parliament, Sadiq Al-Mahdi, former prime minister of the Sudan and a friend of the Kurdish people, representatives of tens of local and international organisations based in Erbil, members of both the Iraqi and Kurdistan parliaments. Representatives from the Greek and Italian governments were also present in the opening day.
In his remarks to the conference, President Barzani reiterated the Kurdistan Region's commitment to Iraqi territorial integrity. The Constitution should be the guide and point of reference for the resolution of any disputes between the Kurdistan Region and the Federal Government, he added.
On the implementation of Article-140 of the Iraqi constitution - which sets out a roadmap for the resolution of the status of the disputed areas - the President called on the Iraqi Parliament to enforce the Constitution and Article-140, as this would be in the interest of Iraq . He said implementing this article would pave the way for peaceful co-existence of different communities in Iraq.
At the end of his remarks, President Barzani said transition from totalitarianism to democracy is a difficult road, but we must have faith and strive to succeed no matter how difficult and painstaking the road may be.