By: Sipan Sedeek Berwari
Vienna; 16.January 2002

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Colleagues,

This mail is to inform you of the project "Zagros", initiated by KSSE - 
Kurdish Students Society in Europe, which I preside, in cooperation with our 
partners in Sweden (KUF) and our Partners in Germany (Kurdischer Hilfsverein e.V).

This project is intended to bring together Kurdish Youth from several parts 
of Europe to discuss the situation of the Kurdish Diaspora in Europe, to 
establish an European -wide common identity for the 2nd Generation of Kurdish Youth as well as for the newly arrived brothers and sisters, to educate them on the EU and to encourage young Kurds to deal with politics. 

The whole project is under the auspices of the EU and will also be funded by 
the EU commission. 

As a preparation for the Austrian delegation we had organized a lecture at 
the EU Information Office in Vienna. Topics had been: the structure and 
functioning of the EU Parliament, the EU position towards Turkey's joining to 
the EU and the Immigration- and Asylum policy of the EU (it has to be 
mentioned that there is yet no common European Asylum and Immigration 
policy). As the lecturer was very well prepared and had knowledge on the 
Kurdish issue, we had a vital discussion round and the participants were much 
pleased about the outcome.

From 2.- 10. February 2002, 45 Kurdish Youth from Austria, Germany and Sweden at the age of 15 to 25 will come together at Stockholm/ Sweden and enjoy an interesting and challenging program. 

We will visit Kurdish refugee families and learn from their experiences and 
their living conditions in the Diaspora (and will be able to compare with our 
own experiences in our host countries), meet with several Kurdish 
institutions in Sweden, visit the Swedish parliament and meet with the 
Kurdish MP Nalin Pekgul, visit the Kurdish Institute at the University of 
Uppsala and meet the head of department, visit the Kurdish library, Kurdish 
publishing house and meet the KRG (Erbil) representative for Nordic countries.

There will also be a cultural program, with Kurdish dancing, music and 
sightseeing through Stockholm. 

The end report will be submitted to the EU commission and as recently 
requested we will send an example to the Austrian ministry for Generation and 
Family, which is interested in the opinion of Kurdish Youth in Austria on the 
possible joining of Turkey to the EU and the discordance with the Copenhagen criterias (Human Rights violation, etc..) and the process of Kurdish assimilation in Europe. 

This project can be the beginning of a huge development:

1) Many more projects like this one or other EU/ Kurdish related topics can 
be conducted through the financial assistance of several EU funds. This can 
be an engine for an increasing activity in that direction

2) Such a gathering of Kurds from different countries can be used to maintain 
contacts by forming a network or even an umbrella organization of Kurdish 
youth organizations

3) The arising public awareness/attention in those European countries will 
benefit the Kurdish image and the organizations themselves

4) Kurdish Youth will get politicised and will, encouraged by such an event, 
probably keep on doing something for the Kurdish cause (those are potential 
candidates for us)

5) If the EU or the national European governments honour such activities (as 
the request from the Austrian ministry proves, that is the case already) a 
substantial sensitisation towards the Kurds in general will be achieved, 
which will also benefit us etc.....

As a well known UN motto says:" The youth are the leaders of tomorrow"

Regards,
Sipan Sedeek Berwari