Kirkuk,
Kurdistan-Iraq, From the city of Kirkuk, the
Kurdistani Alliance announced its electoral program
and slate, upon which it shall enter the coming
Iraqi elections, which are supposed to be conducted
by the middle of next month.
Kosrat Rasool Ali, head of the Kurdistan Regional
Electoral High Committee and member of the political
bureau of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, headed
by the Iraqi president Jalal Talebani, said, "Our
electoral slate represents our voice and destiny. It
carries the aspirations, ideas and ambitions of the
entire Iraq."
He added, "We shall work on fulfilling the ambitions
of Kurdistani people and would defend its values for
the objective of establishing democracy in our new
diverse federal democratic Iraq." |
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The Kurdish official continued, "Political forces
shall participate in our slate, including Kurds,
Turkmen and Chaldeans. We would all work on
guaranteeing the rights of minorities and races
residing in Kurdistan."
As regards the parties that would represent the
Kurdistani Alliance Slate, Rasool said, "The slate
includes representatives of the Patriotic Union of
Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democratic Party, headed
by Mas'ud Barzani, in addition to Islamic groups,
Kadhi Kurdistan Party, the Kurdistan Communist Party
and the Kurdistani Socialist Party."
It is worth mentioning that the Kurdistani Alliance
has announced the participation of the Islamic Group
(Kurdish), which is headed by Babeer, among the
candidates of the slate. This is the first time that
Babeer participates after spending several months in
a detention camp under the American forces, for the
charge of connections with the armed 'Ansar Al
Islam' group.
Ali Babeer is one of the most distinguished founders
of Ansar Al Islam Group in 2001, but he separated
from its leader, Mullah Krekar, as he chose Jihad
for the sake of Islam through the peaceful call not
armed violence. Nevertheless, the American forces
attacked his den at the beginning of the war on
Iraq, murdered more than 40 of his followers, and
detained him for the charge of terrorism and
connections with Ansar Al Islam.
Babeer said, "My participation in the Kurdistani
slate is for the purpose of unifying the two
Kurdistani administrations and annexing Kirkuk to
it, as a part of Kurdistan. Its construction and
development need to be paid attention, as it is
extremely retarded and neglected at present."
Rasool expressed his hope for the success of the
slate. He confirmed, "It would assist in our unity,
and solving Kirkuk issue as it is a part of
Kurdistan, in addition to guaranteeing the rights of
the Feili Kurds and the Shabak." High-ranking
figures from the two major Kurdish parties and
Kirkuk governor Abdel Rahman Mustafa have
participated in the conference, which was held in
Kirkuk city, amidst strict security measures.
On his behalf, Kamal Karkukli, deputy president of
the Kurdistani Parliament, said, "We have selected
Kirkuk for holding this conference as it is a major
part of our cause, our struggle in establishing the
united Iraq. We hope that it would be for peaceful
coexistence.'
On the other hand, Ahmed Haji Mahmoud, head of the
Kurdistani Socialist party, announced, "Our slate is
a means for establishing the rights of Kurdish
people and proving their power, which can never be
neglected as it is a major vital part of the
political equation of the new Iraq."
He added, "We have insisted on the participation of
all the constituents of Iraqi people for the purpose
of helping Iraq reach safe shores through fighting
terrorism and religious extremism to establish our
free Iraq."
It is worth mentioning that the Kurdistani Alliance
has come in second position in the parliamentary
elections that were conducted by the beginning of
this year, after the slate that included the most
prominent Shiite organizations.
Al Sharq Al Awsat
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