Statement by Parliament Speaker Dr. Rowsch N. Shaways 
Kurdistan National Assembly: Erbil, Kurdistan- Iraq
16 January 2002

Recently there has been a campaign in the Turkish media and through some Turkish official statements focused  on fears about the future and territorial integrity of Iraq as well as allegations on the  establishment of an independent Kurdish State in Iraqi Kurdistan,  which supposedly  threatens the life, property and freedom of the Turkmen citizens .

We find ourselves in a position to view with suspicion the reasons and motives for this untrue and unfair campaign. We feel that all this is being done as a pretext to interfere in the Iraqi people¹s affairs and particularly in the affairs of the people of Kurdistan, to abuse its democratic experiment denying its just national rights. We therefore find it necessary to make the following clarification:

First, no party in Kurdistan, legislative or administrative authority or institution has called for separation from Iraq or the establishment of a Kurdish independent state. Contrary to that the National Assembly of Iraqi Kurdistan made, on October 22, 1992, a unanimous decision that constitutional relationship with the central government should be on the basis of federalism within  a democratic Iraqi republic whereby Iraqi Kurdistan will constitute one of its regions. This continues to be a binding decision on the regional administration as well as on political parties and institutions in Iraqi Kurdistan.

This decision has become the motto for all the parties and the people of Kurdistan in general and it is a decision that we hereby confirm as a principal demand of our people and their lawfully elected institutions.

Secondly, there are in Kurdistan, alongside the Kurds, national minorities such as Turkmen, Assyrians, Chaldeans  and Arabs. The law recognizes their existence and guarantees their freedom, their rights and properties as equal  in the eyes of the law.

The Regional Government respects this reality and safeguards  those rights. These groups have their own political parties, cultural and social institutions. They study in their own languages, have their own  newspapers, magazines, broadcasting and T.V stations. They all participate in the administration as well as other institutions of the region to an extend that has not been seen before since the establishment of the Iraqi State.

We invite you or your representatives to visit Kurdistan and see the situation for yourselves and investigate what truly happens within the area; to meet with the political parties and particularly with the Turkmen ones, their associations and personalities to gauge the sentiment and opinion of the majority among this group.

We in the name of the National Assembly of Iraqi Kurdistan implore you to help our people to make known the facts and to assist them in achieving their legitimate democratic rights and prevent the undermining and the  infringements upon those rights while refuting the pretexts and exposing the half- truths  that are being unfairly publicized for purposes that are contrary to the interest of the people of Iraq and their democratic movement.

We hope that Your Excellencies¹ efforts will be instrumental in clarifying the truth and in putting an end to this unjust campaign and the dubious intentions behind it.

Please, Excellencies, accept the consideration of our highest regards.

Dr. Rowsch N. Shaways Speaker of the Parliament