Network for peace, peaceful coexistence formed in 4 provinces

SULAIMANIYA / IraqiNews.com: The first regional conference about the national reconciliation and peaceful coexistence issued a final communiqué, in which it announced the formation of a (peace and peaceful coexistence network) in four provinces. “The network consists of a number of organizations, parties, media institutions, and chieftains in Kirkuk, Salah el-Din, Ninewa, and Diala,” Atta Mohamed, director of the civilian development organization, told IraqiNews.com news agency. The first regional conference about the national reconciliation and peaceful coexistence was held on February 7-8 in Dukan resort with the participation of 100 representatives of civil society organizations, political parties, and chieftains from the four provinces,” he also said. “The participants stressed the importance of peaceful coexistence as the only guarantee for the success of the democratic process in the country and the national reconciliation among Iraqis,” he explained. For his part, the head of the Kurdistan parliament’s relations committee, Areez Abdullah, said that the peaceful coexistence will happen only by defeating terrorism and solving problems. “Terrorism, corruption and the absence of services and the unfair distribution of wealth lead to the citizen’s lack of care,” Mahdi Jaber Mahdi, a professor at the political science faculty in Salah el-Din university, said. For her part, a member from the Kirkuk provincial council, Almas Fadel, said that some scholars and Imams contribute in fanning on the fire and stirring up violent acts, asserting that their speeches instigate violence. “The real reconciliation starts with the citizens’ trust in politicians and avoiding unnecessary clashes,” another member of the Kirkuk council, Turkan Shoukar, said. The Civilian Development was established ion March 16, 1999 in Sulaimaniya with the support from a Swedish organization for supporting democracy and human rights. It has offices in Kirkuk, Diala, Ninewa, Salah el-Din as well as Iraq’s Kurdistan provinces. SH (S)/SR 2