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Kurdistan Prime Minister's speech at Iraqi
flag raising ceremony
11.2.2008
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February 11, 2008
Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani
Iraqi flag raising ceremony
Kurdistan National Assembly
Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq
10 February 2008
Dear Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, Good Morning,
Welcome to you all.
I would especially like to welcome our honorable
guests from Baghdad: The representatives of the
President and Prime Minister of Iraq and the
representatives of the Iraqi National Assembly. I
would also like to welcome the representatives of
the countries that have offices and consulates in
Erbil. |
Nechirvan Barzani, Prime
Minister of
Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) |
We are here today to mark a historic occasion - the
raising of a new Iraqi flag in the Kurdistan
Region's capital of Erbil.
The raising of this flag in this place should be
understood as the concrete expression of our serious
and effective participation in a new Iraq.
Every country and nation throughout history has had
an emblem or symbol to represent it. That emblem has
reflected its people’s history and character. The
flag of any country reflects its composition,
geographic location, history.
The Kurdistan Region, as part a federal and
democratic Iraq, is committed to the Constitution
and respects all the decisions and laws of the Iraqi
Parliament. At the request of the Kurdistan Region,
changes have been made to the Iraq flag, and today
we raise it besides the flag of our region.
We are proud of this participation within a new Iraq
and we are working hard to make this new Iraq a
country where all people can live side by side in
peace and prosperity.
The flag is the symbol of a country’s sovereignty
and must be respected. But we must remember that a
flag should accurately reflect the country it
represents. It must not be the symbol of a
particular group or party in this country.
When we emphasize a new Iraq we mean one that is
democratic, federal,www.ekurd.net
pluralistic, secular,
free, and that embraces its entire people. We are
trying seriously to reconstruct this country
following the collapse of the dictatorial regime.
Part of this process is removing the outward signs
and symbols of the previous dictatorship.
Some in Iraq have not welcomed the change in the
flag's design. They misunderstand our position. Our
desire for a new design is not an attempt to weaken
the Iraqi national identity.
Under Saddam Hussein's one party Ba'ath rule the
dictator's vision merged the idea of leader, party
and country. Iraq was a state defined by one party
and one leader. And so was the flag – the most
visible manifestation of the state.
In adopting a new flag we are simply following the
example of other states that throughout history that
have removed the symbols of totalitarian regimes.
When dictatorial regimes have collapsed as a result
of the people, those people have tried to erase the
dictators’ legacy.
By raising the new Iraqi flag, great hope is created
for the people of Iraq. This hope is erasing the
legacy of the former dictatorial regime and ushering
in a prosperous and peaceful life for all.
We seek tolerance, fraternity, and coexistence with
all the peoples of Iraq. We don’t want to repeat the
sad days of our history, to reopen old wounds by
raising the Ba’ath flag.
We recall well the pictures in the 1990’s of
Romanian and Russian students carrying flags with
the center cut out after the fall of the communist
regimes. For them, it became unthinkable that they
could fly the flag under which they were oppressed,
and for us, moving to a new flag is a natural and
easy process which reflects our commitment to the
new Iraq.
This new flag is the product of negotiation and
compromise by a range of Iraqi politicians. Through
democratic process and parliamentary discussions,
all parties agreed on this flag. It is a symbol of
the new state that we can all be proud of. It is a
flag which calls us to look forward to the bright
future and free us from the memories our dark past.
The Ba’ath regime designed the flag in accordance to
its party’s program. This program disregarded the
rights of the peoples of Iraq, infringed the
sovereignty of neighboring countries and broke
international laws. Furthermore, inside Iraq, the
former flag symbolized tragedy and injustice to the
people of Iraq and particularly the peoples of
Kurdistan.
Although this flag is temporary, it is the start of
an important process of creating a better future for
Iraq. That is why we are happy raise the new Iraq
flag in the Kurdistan Region.
We want to be a constructive part of Iraq. We want
our decisions and views to be respected. We want our
problems to be solved within the framework of the
Iraqi constitution. We believe that working within
the framework is the best way to solve our problems.
I wish for a good future for us all.
krg org
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