Kurdistan Parliament concludes session on Iranian bombardment

ARBIL / Aswast al-Iraq: North Iraq Kurdistan Region’s Parliament has concluded its special session on Tuesday, in which it discussed the Iranian bombardment of the border villages of the Region, condemning the shelling operations, and demanding the Iraqi government to compensate the victims.   “The Kurdistan Parliament strongly condemns the Iranian mortar shelling and demands the immediate halt of the shelling; and Iran has to commit itself to the International principles and respect the sovereignty of its neighboring countries,” a Parliament statement, read by the Chairman of the Legal Committee of Kurdistan Parliament, Shirwan Haidary, stressed.   The statement pointed out that “(Iraq’s) Federal government must boost its efforts to stop the shelling,” adding that “among the duties of the Baghdad government is to protect Iraq’s borders and has to compensate the villages, harmed by the shelling.”   Haidary, meanwhile said that Kurdistan Parliament “is highly assessing the efforts and attempts by the Kurdistan Region’s government towards stopping the shelling,” calling on the UN Organizations and the International Human Rights Institutions “to follow up the conditions of the people, who were forced to desert their home villages and strive to stop the Iranian shelling.”   “The related ministries in Kurdistan Region must present necessary services for the deserted people and the Kurdistan Parliament must carry out field visits for the harmed villages and to settle the problems with Iran through dialogue,” he said, adding that “the joint trade and economic relations would be harmed if the shelling continues.”   The Kurdistan Region’s Parliament had held a special session on Tuesday to discuss the issue of the Iranian bombardment of the border villages and areas of Kurdistan, and the session was held under chairmanship of Kurdistan Parliament’s Speaker, Kamal Karkuki.   SKH (TF) 598