Wednesday, March 2, 2011

48 hrs. Friday ~ Iraq's Gov't running out of time ~ Demonstrators have handed over a communiqué ~ gov't has 48 hours to respond to their demands


Wednesday, March 2nd 2011
Iraq Govt running out of time as protesters remain firm on demands
Sulaimaniyah, The parliament of Kurdistan Region is expected to receive a report from a parliamentary committee tasked dealing with the Sulaimaniyah demonstrators while the government is running out of time to meet their demands before a general strike is announced all over the city.
Sulaimaniyah demonstrators have handed a communiqué to the parliamentary committee giving the parliament and government 48 hours to respond to their demands or risk a general strike all over the city.
The parliamentary committee looking into the demands of the demonstrators in Sulaimaniyah is expected to submit its report to the parliament speaker Wednesday.

However, head of the committee says the parliament session will not be dedicated to discussing the report but a symbolic session to resume regular meetings after recess.

The demonstrators have threatened a general strike all over Sulaimaniyah if the government fails to meet their demands as the 48 hours period expires.

The reports contains the demands of the demonstrators who have been flooding the streets of Sulaimaniyah, Kurdistan second largest city, as of Feb. 17 demanding reforms, fighting corruption and social justice. Daily activities are still ongoing in the city’s Azadi Square.

“The demands of the demonstrators are general and the government can respond to them in a short period of time” says Sabah Barzinji, head of the committee, “but part of the demands require time and can not be achieved in 48 hours”

“If they refuse to reply to us within 48 hours, we will declare a general strike, this means the demonstration will spread across all Sulaimaniyah streets, and we will peacefully block all the roads to oblige the government to meets our demands” a member of the higher committee for demonstrators, Faruq Rafiq, told AKnews earlier.

Nasik Qadir, a spokesman for the council of demonstrators, told AKnews that the communiqué contains demands that require immediate action with 26 fundamental demands most of which relate to the living conditions of the people and need to be responded to as soon as possible.

Some of the urgent demands that require immediate action, according to Qadir, include putting an end to the emergency state across Kurdistan region, moving security forces stationed near Sulaimaniyah during the Feb. 17 protests and trying those accused of killings during the protests.

Since the Feb. 17 protests, some 7 people have been killed and over 100 injured in clashes between the protests and security forces.

Other fundamental demands include the summoning of the ministers of the interior and Peshmarga affairs in addition to the prime minister to parliament for accountability over the incidents.

Inquiry into, and disclosure of, the assets of the officials, a cut in the salaries of the MPS, ministers and high-ranking government officials are also among the fundamental demands.

“those demands are all in favor of the citizens and the different facets of the Kurdish society,” says Faruq the member of the higher committee for demonstrators, “we are waiting for the reply of the parliament and government to see to what extent they are ready to accept our demands.
http://www.aknews.com/en/aknews/4/222101/

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