The BBC reported:
Representatives from Iraq's Sunni and Shia groups attending secret talks in Finland have agreed a set of principles aimed at ending sectarian violence. Politicians from Northern Ireland and South Africa also attended the four-day meeting, to share their experiences of bringing divided communities together.Former northern Ireland IRA members attended the meetings. Here is the press release from Crisis Management on the progress:
The Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness, was one of the chairmen of the talks.
The event was organised by a conflict prevention group based in Finland.
The group, Crisis Management Initiative, released a statement late on Monday, saying the participants had "committed themselves to work towards a robust framework for a lasting settlement".
Leading representatives of Iraqi political parties and others linked to a range of groups close to the conflict completed four days of discussions in FinlandThe Helsinki Agreement by the members is HERE. The agreement looks pretty good- except for maybe this last point:
Participants committed themselves to work towards a robust framework for a lasting settlement. Those present agreed to a set of recommendations to start negotiations to reach national reconciliation. These recommendations are contained in the attached Helsinki Agreement. The principles of inclusivity, power-sharing and a commitment to removing the use of violence as a means of resolving political differences were among the most urgent concerns agreed.
9- The cessation of the violation of the human rights of Iraqi citizens and their properties by continuous bombardment and military actions by foreign forces. The Iraqi government must take responsibility to protect innocent civilians.Voice of Iraq is also reporting that the 16 members have agreed to continue the reconciliation talks and work for a lasting peace.
All Things Conservative has more on the Helsinki Meeting.
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ReplyDeletethanks again GP..
things are really moving along now, i expect a "surge of progress" when least expected.. just hope we can make a smooth mental transition to the change after having been mind boggled via the Dems & MSM for so freakin' long.. ;)
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this sounds great however I am extremely cautious when seeing any optimistic report on any national political progress.
ReplyDeleteYou can just as easily interpret the last clause as being aimed at Turkey and Iran as you can being directed against US forces, so their inclusion of that point doesn't bother me at all, even if it's intended to cover American forces supporting the elected Iraqi government.
ReplyDeleteIf the Iraqis get their act together, we're outta there. And I think most of them know that.
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ReplyDeletefilbert @ 1:14 PM
several months ago, and several times since, both Talibani & Maliki have stated that Iraqi Forces would be in total control of Iraq's 18 Provinces by the end of the year.. so yes, i believe some of our troops will be on their way home by early next year if all keeps going as well as it has been.. however, there will be a maintained US presence in Iraq for decades to come, just as there is in other places ie: Germany, Bosnia, South Korea, Japan, etc.. and here's a newsflash HT : Dagney's Rant
Iraq To Formally Seek Long-Term US Military Presence
excerpts:
[Meanwhile, the Iraqi Foreign Minister unveiled that Iraq “is seeking the signatory of a long-term security agreement with the U.S. next year once the U.N. mandate given to the presence of the Multi-National Forces in Iraq was over.”
Minister Zibari noted that the agreement recently reached among the Iraqi political leaders included a clause indicating the readiness of the Iraqi government to have a long-term partnership with the U.S. in security.
“This agreement will help us and our friends to act together in the security aspect,” the Iraqi Minister said.]
[Zibari considered such a move as “an internal issue and has nothing to do with the neighboring countries.”]
that's really not news per se, what is news is that they're more or less confirming they want US to remain in Iraq..
excerpt:
[The Iraqi Foreign Minister also touched upon the Iranian artillery shelling against the Kurdish villages in northern Iraq saying “the shelling has become a routine action that targets residential areas in Sulaimaniyah and Arbil everyday.”
“The Iraqi government informed the Iranian ambassador of its protest against these operations demanding an immediate halt to the shelling into the Iraqi territories,” Zibari added.
The Iraqi minister who warned that the shelling will harm the relations between the two countries threatened that “the Iraqi government will not sit idle towards the continued Iranian shelling of the Iraqi territories.”
“We are not so weak to the extent that all countries intervene and do what they like in Iraq while we keep silent,” the minister noted.
“There are measures that we will take through diplomatic channels hopefully to end the shelling,” said Zibari who also admitted the presence of Iranian opposition groups on the Iraqi territories.]
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