France Libertés Foundation and IrakThe Foundation presided over by Danielle Mitterrand, the former First Lady of France, has always worked for the respect of human rights and the People’s right to self-determination. That is why the Foundation committed itself to advocacy for the right of the Kurdish people to live in dignity and freedom and why France Libertes and her President condemned crimes by the former government of Saddam Hussein against Iraqi citizens, whether Sunna, Shia, Kurds, Christians, or other religious or ethnic group members.
Although Danielle Mitterrand was a firm opponent of the war against Iraq-knowing that Iraq’s citizens would be the first victims of such action-the Foundation continues to listen and to receive testimonies from different sectors of Iraqi society, based on her belief that decisions about Iraq and solutions for its crises must come from Iraq’s citizens. During his visit in France, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani was received in Madam Mitterrand’s home and gave his hope for the future of the country. He also firmly promised her that Iranian refugees would not be expelled to Iran and that the Geneva Convention would be respected completely. Ms Pascala WARDA, former Minister of Refugees in Kurdistan’s autonomous government, was also received recently and spoke about the situation of refugees returning to their homes in Kurdistan and the difficulties the Christian minority has in obtaining official recognition of their villages by local authorities. On Tuesday, the 6th of February, some deputies of minority parties in Iraq’s Parliament were received at the headquarters of the Foundation to testify about the situation in Iraq. They expressed their concern for the security of citizens, especially women, and their opposition to foreign influences. They also presented a proposal for an international conference on Iraq, designed to facilitate discussions about the future of their country and without pressure from foreign interests. Furthermore, Madame Mitterrand and the visitors agreed that the problem of Iranian refugees in Iraq should be dealt with in accordance with the Geneva Convention protections for foreign and political refugees and that the Iraqi Government and Parliament would not gain from a decision on this matter that was made to please foreign interests. Following these meetings, France Libertes Foundation stressed that it is willing to help with any initiative promoting dialogue among Iraqi stakeholders and aimed at the restoration of security and freedom for all Iraqi citizens. |
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