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Conference proposed to reconcile warring Iraqi groups
Baghdad has sought support from the Swiss government for a rendez vous in Geneva to bring together all factions before summer begins.
Occupation in Iraq: Conference to resolve issues proposed for Geneva
A bid has been launched to hold a summit in Geneva this summer to reconcile Iraq’s warring factions. Cermam, an Arabic and Mediterranean research institute based in the city, has suggested a conference to bring the parties together. The proposal has already received support from many quarters, including the Iraq government in Baghdad.
“We have sent a letter to your Minister of Foreign Affairs, Micheline Calmy-Rey, asking her to give official Swiss support to this conference,” said Labeed Abbawi, Iraq’s assistant head of diplomacy. Abbawi told the Tribune de Genève that his government could “only be delighted” about an initiative that aims to bring about reconciliation and national dialogue.
The city of Geneva has already indicated it is prepared to help organize the conference both financially and logistically. There has been no official response yet from the Swiss government, although observers in Geneva expect it to be favorable. Since 2003, the country has provided SFr10 million in humanitarian aid to Iraq in addition to financial support for refugees.
Despite the stepped-up presence of the U.S.-led occupying force, violence continues to erupt in Iraq on a daily basis. Against this background, unresolved issues continue to fester about sharing of the country’s wealth and the rights of minority groups.
The conference is seen as a possible way to tackle some of these issues in a location away from the bombs and the killing. “One can only wait for that,” said Kais Al-Azzawi, assistant secretary of the Arabic socialist movement and a member of the forum of Iraq’s secular political parties. “I hope ardently that this conference gets off the ground.”
Tribune de Genève
20 April 2007
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- Origin CERMAM
- http://www.cermam.org/en/logs/zoom/conference_proposed_to_reconci/
- Publié le 24 July 2007