Three Assyrian political parties and the Chaldean Church in Iraq have
announced their boycott of a conference to be held in the EU Parliament
in Brussels. The conference, titled A Future for Christians for Iraq
and organized by EU parliamentarian Lars Adaktusson from the Swedish
Christian Democratic Party, has been touted by Adaktusson as a decisive
event for the survival of Assyrians in the war torn country.
The Chaldean Catholic Church announced it will boycott the conference in a statement posted on its official website on Thursday. Boycotts were also announced by the Abnaa al Nahrain Assyrian political party, the Assyrian Patriotic Party and the Assyrian Democratic Movement (ADM), the largest Christian Political Party in Iraq.
In
a four page letter sent to Mr Adaktusson, which AINA has examined, ADM
explained the reasons for its decision not to attend the conference. ADM
has also issued a public statement
in its decision to boycott the conference. The objections of ADM
expressed in the letter are shrouded in diplomatic language yet amount
to a scathing critique of the way the conference has been prepared.
According to ADM, the conference is set up in a way that makes it
inherently pro-Kurdish and pro-Kurdish Regional Government. ADM is
indirectly accusing the organizers of giving support for greater Kurdish
control of the Nineveh Plains. Most of the critique centers around a
policy document outlining the steps to be taken in regard to the future
of the Nineveh Plains. The policy document is expected to be formally
adopted at the conference, and ADM points out several serious flaws in
it.
According to ADM the security arrangement proposed in the
policy document will revert the security situation in the Nineveh Plains
back to the disastrous reality that existed prior to ISIS, when the
area was controlled by the Kurdish peshmerga, Iraqi army units
and local forces loyal to the KDP political party headed by the
president of the Kurdish led region, Massoud Barzani. ADM is also
critical of the lack of time frame for when the inhabitants of the
Nineveh Plain will decide on the future alignment of their region,
stating that:
Any elections, and by extension any decisions, about what governmental structure the Nineveh Plains falls under are illegitimate until a period of time has passed whereby demographics are restored to some approximation of the average between 2005 and pre-ISIS 2014 levels. Without any sequencing and timeline for certain conditions to be met, the policy document enables the agenda of those seeking to control our political, social and economic future by compelling our people to make decisions when we are at our weakest and most vulnerable. We need the European Union to provide a shield against such pressures, not assist in enabling them.
Apart
from criticism against the policy document, ADM also raises issues
concerning the structure and preparation of the conference. The party
accuses Lars Adaktusson and his staff of intentionally excluding certain
political representatives and NGOs, stating in the letter "There are
many NGOs which have been excluded whose participation is necessary to
properly reflect the diversity of views and discourses in our people
whereas the current invitation list preferences some voices over
others."
ADM proposed to the conference that it discard the policy
document in favor of a joint agreement reached between the majority of
the Assyrian political parties in Iraq on March 6 of this year, and to
adjust the list of invited representatives and NGOs to better reflect
the diversity of views among the Assyrians. In his reply to The Assyrian
Democratic Movement, Lars Adaktusson regrets the decision of the ADM to
boycott the conference and admits that the non participation of a major
actor will raise questions about the legitimacy of the conference.
Adaktusson doesn't however show a willingness to address the issues
raised by ADM.
Patriarcato Caldeo
22 Giugno 2017
Dichiarazione della chiesa caldea sulla conferenza di Bruxelles del 28 giugno 2017
Patriarcato Caldeo
22 Giugno 2017
Dichiarazione della chiesa caldea sulla conferenza di Bruxelles del 28 giugno 2017