Latter of Geneva Institute for Coexistence at the UNs Headquarters

On behalf of the Geneva Institute for Coexistence, I would like to welcome all our guests, politicians, academics, journalists and human rights activists to this conference. A special welcome to Mr Jaffar Haggi, Chairman of the Kurdistan Regional Government Advisory Council and to Mr Nawzad Mawloud, senior advisor of the President of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

This conference is taking place at a particularly important time as the respect and applicability of the Iraqi constitution are flouted more than ever.

Indeed, the Iraqi people as a whole were particularly optimistic and full of hope when the new constitution was voted in 2005. It was the culmination of several years of consultation and exchange of ideas between the different ethnic religious, linguistic but also ideological components which form the Iraqi people. We must say that despite all the comments that one may have regarding its content, the 2005 constitution remains a rather modern constitution that respects differences.

This constitution and its application were the cornerstone of peaceful coexistence and should guarantee equitable rights and duties to citizens of each component of the Iraqi society. However, from the first months of its entry into force, the most fundamental articles of the constitution have been systematically and flagrantly violated. Very quickly, the hope for a new era of peaceful coexistence turned into despair and the Iraqi people found themselves in a sort of downward spiral.

The most flagrant violation is undoubtedly that of an emblematic article of coexistence: article 140 relating to dispute areas. However, the constitution and its application seem to have been forgotten by the central government . In fact, the non-application of this article is at the origin of a major part of discord between the regional government of Kurdistan and the central government.

There are certainly still hundreds of examples of similar violations, but we would like to emphasize here the possibilities of collaboration, tolerance, mutual respect which can still be achieved if the letter and the spirit of the Constitution of 2005 are respected, if the policy of setting aside the different minorities is no longer practiced, if the wealth of the country is equitably distributed, if the practices that sow intolerance and tribal wars are banned. We are convinced that the Iraqi people can live together, it is now a matter of convincing the politicians too. And it is precisely to achieve this goal that the Geneva Institute for Coexistence organizes this kind of discussion forum.

Thank you!