On the 9th of May the Head of the European Union representation in Iraq, Patrick Simonnet, together with the diplomats of the European countries located in Baghdad met the President of the Council of Representatives of the Iraqi Parliament, Salim al-Juboori, to discuss the ongoing political crisis. Below the Statement by the Head of the EU Delegation and Heads of all 13 EU Member State Embassies accredited to Iraq (10/05/2016):
The Head of the EU (European Union) Delegation and Heads of all 13 EU Member State Embassies accredited to the Republic of Iraq are concerned about the current political situation in the country.
Baghdad, Iraq – 9 May 2016
The Head of Delegation of the European Union and Heads of 13 European Union Member State Embassies met today with His Excellency, Dr. Salim al-Juboori, President of the Council of Representatives, and discussed the present political problems. The EU supports all efforts by the three Presidencies and all political leaders in Parliament to find a peaceful way forward. The 14 European Diplomats called upon all Iraqi political leaders in Parliament to engage urgently in peaceful dialogue to address differences that are hampering the proper functioning of the Parliament.The EU Heads of Missions urged all 328 Iraqi Parliamentarians to join hands, , pursue dialogue and refrain from anti-democratic behaviour during parliamentary sessions. At the same time, The EU Heads of Mission called upon government authorities to provide security for Parliamentarians to enable them to have the confidence to attend safely the next sessions in Parliament. The EU Heads of Mission further asked all political leaders in Parliament to be attentive to the Iraqi people messages and expectations for a reformed, stable, democratic, inclusive and peaceful Iraq. Respect for Human Rights is critical, particularly at this sensitive time: the democratic rights of the people to express themselves freely and peacefully on the streets and in the media are vital as part of Iraq’s reform programme.
Pursuing political, economic, public administration reforms, the fight against corruption and an inclusive governance should be given priority by all Iraqi politicians and their political leaders. Finally, the EU diplomats recalled that all efforts need to focus in achieving national unity in order to combat and defeat Da’esh, while seeking reconciliation at national and local level to facilitate the return to their homes of millions of displaced Iraqis.