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An open letter to Ban Ki-moon, UN
Secretary-General
12.1.2007
By Baqi Barzani - eKurd.net Contributing Writer |
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January 12, 2007
Dear Ban Ki-moon,
On behalf of 40-million stateless Kurds, I would
like to extend you best wishes and congratulate you
as the new Secretary-general of the United Nations.
While you are preparing yourself to shoulder one of
the most burdensome and historic responsibility of
the time, many despondent and dispossessed people of
the world are in anticipation of you to salvage them
from their tribulations and sufferings.
On a daily basis, tens of thousands of innocent
people are killed in their pursuit for the hallowed
goal of self-determination. From Iran to Syria, and
from Turkey to Iraq, their quest has culminated in a
dead-end road full of obstacles, resentments and a
lack of recognition. But these people continue to
put their lives on the line, hoping that those noble
words of self-determination amount to much more than
political rhetoric. So they continue to die, hoping
that maybe, there is a genuine right of
self-determination.
Mr. Secretary-General, in today’s world, there are
more than 2000 thousand ethnic groups but only 192
states. In most Asian countries, the dominant powers
continue to deliberately ignore the socio-economic
and cultural identity needs and rights of other
peoples within the same state. Human rights
violations are on the rise and the plight of ethnic
and religious minorities has deteriorated beyond
comparison. Among them most suffering is the Jews,
Christians, Bahaiies and the 40 million subdued
Kurds living under the totalitarian regimes of
Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Syria. The Kurds have
consistently been subjugated, degraded, denied,
repressed, demoralized, prosecuted and discriminated
against by neighboring countries for most of their
history. They have been denied the right of
self-determination. They have been denied one of the
most legitimate, inherent and fundamental right. One
of the most important principles of contemporary
international law.
Mr. Secretary-General, Self-determination is
considered not simply a principle of international
law, but rather an affirmative right of all peoples.
It is a prerequisite to any genuine enjoyment of any
of the human rights. The right to self-determination
is considered jus cogen, and a part of customary
international law that imposes binding obligations
on all nation states.
Self determination is a stabilizing concept. Self
determination and democracy go hand in hand. If
democracy means the rule of the people, by the
people, for the people, then the principle of self
determination secures that no one people may rule
another - and herein lays its enduring appeal.
Mr. Secretary-General, the right to
self-determination is the right of a people to
determine its own destiny. Like many others, Kurdish
people should also reserve this right to choose
their own political status and determine their own
form of economic, cultural and social development.
It is of historic, world importance, and it would
make you one of the most important leaders of the
21st century, if you would encourage the
afore-mentioned countries to respect, recognize and
grant their ethnic and religious minority groups
their rights.
Thank you for your attention.
Peace, equality and justice for all.
Yours sincerely,
Baqi Barzani
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