Kurdistan’s Parliament to host region’s Premier, Inteior – Peshmerga Ministers

ARBIL / IraqiNews.com: North Iraq’s Kurdistan Region’s Parliament has decided on Wednesday night to host the Region’s Premier, its Interior and Peshmerga (Kurdish Forces) Ministers, on the background of the events that took place in a number of its cities over the past few days, according to a Parliament statement on Thursday.   “Kurdistan’s Parliament has decided in its emergency session on Wednesday night, which centered on the discussion of the situation in Sulaimaniya city, to condemn, prevent and undermine acts of violence and opening fire on citizens, attacks on official and party buildings and damaging public and private properties. They also condemn the withdrawal of all troops that moved towards Sulaimaniya city, during the events of Feb. 17, 2011 and to restore them back to their original headquarters,” according to the statement, a copy of which IraqiNews.com news agency received.   Noteworthy is that thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Sulaimaniya on Thursday last week, demanding the improvement of the service and living condtions, fighting corruption and carrying out political reforms, causing the death of several people and more than 50 others, following the opening of fire in front of the headquarters of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in the City, where the demonstrators had gathered.  The statement also said that “the Kurdistan Parlilament has decided to release all people, detained due to the participation in the said demonstrations, and that Kurdistan government compensates all those who were harmed, being persons, establishments or forces, materially and morally,” according to the law, adding that “the missions of protection of the demonstrations, must be the duty of the Interior Ministry’s forces and the Civil Activities Police.”   “Among other decisions taken during the meeting is one calling on the Peshmerga forces to “keep away from political and internal  conflicts, concentrating its role, as a national force, to protect the achievements of Kurdistan people, as well as the formation of a fact-finding commission by the Region’s government,” it said.   “Security forces are not allowed to arrest participants in demonstrations, unless after getting a decision from the courts. There cannot be a decision to move forces from one city to another, unless there exists a foreign threat, in addition to taking legal measures against those who set fire to the Nalia Satellite TV Channel and to send them to courts in the nearest possible time,” the statement added.  “The government of Kurdistan Region must issue important, urgent and special decisions to raise the standard of living for citizens, achievement of social justice, openness towards political atmospheres and freedoms, efforts to pacify the circumstances and putting an end to the media of political parties, along with hosting the Premier of Kurdistan government, its Interior and Peshmerga Ministers to explain the reasons for the said developments, according to legal means,” the statement concluded.   SKH (TI)/SR 518