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Due to
some recent speculations regarding the situation of
the Christian minority in Iraqi Kurdistan and
unfounded allegations directed towards the Kurdistan
Regional Government (KRG) in its treatment of this
vulnerable group, the Nordic Representation of KRG
would like to issue the following statement:
While we do not have authority outside the KRG-area,
we condemn the recent violent attacks against
Christians and other minorities in areas within the
jurisdiction of the federal government in Iraq. We
are deeply concerned that the multi-national forces
and Iraqi law enforcement units have not been able
to effectively stop these acts of violence.
In the areas under KRG, three ministers are of
Assyrian or Chaldean origin, Sarkis Aghajan Mamendu
(Deputy Prime Minister), Yonan Marqus Hanna
(Minister of Industry and Energy) and Yousif Hanna
Yousuf (Minister for Regional Affairs), in addition
to the Deputy Governor of Dohuk. In the 1992
elections for Kurdistan National Assembly five seats
were allocated to the Christians of the region.
Since 1991 Assyrians and Chaldeans have been able to
publish newspapers, run television and radio
broadcasts in their own language, and establish
their own political parties. Within the KRG-area
more than 30 Assyrian language schools (consisting
of almost 10,000 students and more than 500
teachers), have been supported by government
funding; more than 20 Churches have been restored
and renovated. This is not the case in the rest of
Iraq. Contrary to unfounded allegations against the
KRG, Christians recently fleeing to the KRG-administered
areas in fear for their lives have been offered all
necessary aid and protection.
In the January 30 elections, three Christian
political groups joined the Kurdistan Alliance List
(Assyrian National Party, Chaldean Democratic Union
and Bait Nahrain Democratic Party). As a result of
this inclusion in the Kurdistan coalition, Christian
candidates managed to enter into the Iraq
Transitional Assembly. Unfortunately for the
inhabitants of some areas in Mosul governorate, too
many votes were lost during these elections,
particularly affecting Assyro-Chaldeans and Kurds,
as well as Kurdish refugees (in Soran region)
returning from Iran. We regret that the authorities
in Mosul and Baghdad failed to secure the right of
these individuals to vote at such as decisive moment
of democratic transition in Iraq and in Kurdistan.
Election administrators within KRG-area had no
involvement in these events against which we have
submitted complaints to the Independent Election
Commission of Iraq.
The people of Kurdistan are now working closely
together to secure the safety of the region and to
secure a better future based on shared values and
principles so that we can establish a democratic,
pluralistic, secular and federal political system in
Iraq based on cooperation and consensus with the
rest of Iraq to create necessary conditions for
peaceful co-existence of the country’s constituent
units.
On behalf of KRG’s Prime Minister, Mr. Nechirvan
Barzani, we are prepared to officially invite any
sincere international fact-finding mission to visit
the region in order to establish the facts on the
ground.
www.krg.org
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