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KRG
Nordic Press Relase : The election of Mr.
Massoud Barzani as president of the Kurdistan Region
marks a historic event and milestone in the Kurdish
modern history
In connection to the election of Mr. Massoud Barzani
as the president of the Kurdistan Region in Iraq,
the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Nordic
Representation issues a statement to celebrate this
important occasion.
The election of Mr. Barzani, president of the
Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), is a decisive
moment in the modern history of the Kurdish
politics. The Kurdistan National Assembly, with the
two main parties KDP (Kurdistan Democratic Party)
and PUK (Patriotic Union of Kurdistan) as well as
other political parties, unanimously elected on 12th
of June 2005 a president to rule over the Kurdistan
Region. The inauguration of the president Barzani
took place today 14th of June at 11 hour CET in the
Kurdistan National Assembly’s building in Hawler,
the capital of the Kurdistan Region.
THE SWEARING-IN CEREMONY WAS ATTENEDED BY THE
PRESIDENT OF IRAQ AND OTHER DIGNITARIES FROM THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF IRAQ, AS WELL AS
REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE US, THE UN AND EUROPEAN
COUNTRIES.
The election of Mr. Barzani for a period of four
years will first and foremost reassure Kurdistan,
and its people who have been subject to systematic
oppression, mass expulsions and genocide, that in a
new Iraq several mechanisms will be in place to
prevent Iraq’s past policies to be repeated.
Kurdistan will now be able to strengthen its
self-rule and exercise strong pressure to reshape
Iraq both to include Kurdistan’s demands and
represent Kurdistan’s share of power in a way that
can correspond to the wishes of its citizens.
The fruit of this historic event would not only
strengthen a united Iraqi Kurdistan, but also
ensures that future changes in Iraq can only be
based on political consensus between different
political parties that have decided to put the
future of democratic and peaceful Kurdistan ahead of
all other issues.
The Nordic representation of KRG strongly believes
that this is another step in the right direction to
restructure Iraq based on democracy, federalism,
tolerance and political negotiations. What is
democratically good for Kurdistan cannot be anything
but also good for a democratic and peaceful Iraq. Mr
Barzani has time and time again urged everyone in
Kurdistan and Iraq to work together to build a new
Iraq based on reconciliation and respect for
diversity. We sincerely hope, and believe, that
democratic governments in Scandinavia, within the EU
and worldwide will support every step to establish
democracy in Iraq.
The ceremony took place in the presence of among
others the Federal Iraqi President and his deputies,
the Prime Minister of the KRG as well as several of
the KRG’s ministers, the speaker of the Federal
Iraqi Parliament, deputies of the Iraqi PM, several
ministers from the federal government of Iraq
including the Foreign Minister, the head and deputy
of the constitution committee, the head of the
Kirkuk commission, the Iraqi ambassador to Egypt,
the UN Secretary-General’s representative in Iraq
forwarded a message, diplomatic missions in Baghdad
including members of the UN Security Council in
Baghdad, dignitaries and representatives from all
parts of the world, Iraqi political parties
representatives, Kurdistan political parties
representatives including the leadership of PUK and
KDP and artists and academics from other parts of
Kurdistan.
www.krg.org
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