Source: SIR
“The population would die from hunger if food aid were not provided. The employment situation is critical, there is a lack of infrastructure, reconstruction works were undertaken and then interrupted, streets are full of holes and electricity supply is discontinuous”. The Latin archbishop of Baghdad, Mgr. Jean B. Sleiman, takes stock of the Iraqi situation in an interview with the SIR, a few hours after the approval of the new electoral law. There will be 325 seats in the new parliament, 15 of which will be assigned to minorities. The agreement on the increased representation of Kurds, Christians and Sunnites prevented the outbreak of a political crisis and paved the way to the second elections after the fall of Saddam Hussein on a date yet to be confirmed. “The young are Iraq’s greatest hope together with a high birth rate, the longing for learning, for knowledge and for rebirth and the will to overcome this situation. The young are worn out and disappointed about what happened. In the latest elections, aspirations to citizenship and rationality prevailed over extremism and fundamentalism. According to the experts, this could have an impact on the upcoming elections and favour moderates. These elections are likely to be the result of lay choices, not influenced by religious pressure”.
