Blackshart before the Security Council: The Iraqis are waiting for the power battles to end

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[size=52]Blackshart before the Security Council: The Iraqis are waiting for the power battles to end[/size]

[size=45]The United Nations envoy to Iraq, Jenin Hennis-Plasschaert, said that the Iraqis are waiting for the power battles to end, pointing out that their country is being violated by neighboring countries. For her part, the secretary of the Amal Organization, the civil activist Hana Adwar, appealed to the international community to intervene and find an initiative to end the political deadlock and urge decision-makers to abide by human rights, and spoke about the politicization of the justice system by issuing judicial rulings up to the death penalty against activists, demonstrators and journalists for malicious cases.[/size]
[size=45]Blackshart said in her briefing to the UN Security Council, followed by (Al-Mada), that "the current dust storms far exceed what Iraq has witnessed in recent years," noting that "the negative aspects of Iraqi political life are still repeating themselves in a seemingly continuous cycle of politics." Zero sum.”[/size]
[size=45]"Iraqis are still waiting for a political class that, instead of being content with outdated power battles, is looking to roll up its sleeves to make progress by achieving Iraq's long list of outstanding domestic priorities," Plasschaert added.[/size]
[size=45]And she explained, "The Iraqi political process has entered the stage of (the winner and the loser), stressing that" politicians do not want to reach a compromise and give priority to the national interest.[/size]
[size=45]She pointed out that "the divisions in the Kurdistan region have deepened, which has negatively affected the region's residents," noting that "the neighboring countries are violating Iraq's sovereignty and the security of its territories."[/size]
[size=45]And she added, "Neighboring countries are violating Iraq's sovereignty and the security of its territory," noting that "missile diplomacy is reckless actions," stressing the critical importance of asserting the authority of the state.[/size]
[size=45]She pointed out that "the lack of clear coordination and implementation mechanisms, the dominance of partisan interests, and the continued presence of spoilers greatly impede achieving tangible progress in Sinjar," stressing that "we have deployed international observers in Sinjar district."[/size]
[size=45]In a statement to reporters after the session, Plasschaert said that she "always seeks to see the positive side of things", "but it is time for a change and for Iraqi political leaders to rise to a higher level."[/size]
[size=45]She warned of popular frustration, and said, "We cannot allow a return to the conditions we witnessed in October 2019", in reference to the bloody demonstrations that took place in the country. Plasschaert has repeatedly stressed before the Security Council the "importance of getting out of the political impasse" that Iraq has been witnessing since the end of last year, which she says provokes popular resentment.[/size]
[size=45]For her part, the Secretary of the Amal Organization, Hana Adoor, stated in her speech before the Security Council, “Concrete achievements have been made as a civil society movement in advocacy campaigns regarding laws, policies and programs, and in strengthening the movement for rights among youth, women, minorities and vulnerable social groups.”[/size]
[size=45]Adour added, "These achievements were reflected in the peaceful protests movement since 2011, which reached its climax in the October 2019 and 2020 popular uprising."[/size]
[size=45]She pointed out that "the process of change to build a democratic system and good governance requires hard work and tremendous patience to build."[/size]
[size=45]Adwar pointed out that "the indicators - circulated by United Nations agencies and international research centers - indicate a terrible decline in the economic, social, cultural, health and environmental situation in Iraq."[/size]
[size=45]She added, "This is in light of a political system based on sectarian and ethnic quotas without a constitutional or legal basis."[/size]
[size=45]She explained, "The regime was controlled by political blocs without a national vision for managing the country, and it also lacked trust between its parties, and between the parties, the ruling authorities and its institutions."[/size]
[size=45]Adwar pointed out that "these leaders looted state resources and budgets for their narrow and personal factional interests, and spread corruption and devastation in state institutions, and even their campaigns for reform and fighting corruption are major corruption, and the country's sovereignty has been violated in the face of continuous foreign military and security interventions."[/size]
[size=45]And she stated, "The rule of law in my country has been replaced by the proliferation of weapons in the hands of clans and armed groups."[/size]
[size=45]Ador stressed that “impunity is a prominent feature in the justice system, so citizens tend to resolve their disputes and disagreements on the basis of clan chapters instead of courts.”[/size]
[size=45]She spoke about "the politicization of the justice system, where harsh judicial rulings are issued based on malicious claims against human rights defenders, media professionals and peaceful demonstrators, which have reached death sentences."[/size]
[size=45]Adour criticized the failure to publish “the results of the investigations regarding the patterns of assassinations and violent attacks against them that were attributed to (unidentified armed elements).”[/size]
[size=45]And she indicated, "The fate of a number of activists and media workers who were arrested and kidnapped is still unknown." Adour noted, "Thousands of forcibly disappeared, the judiciary did not move to discuss their cases and bring justice to their families, while those accused of drug crimes and major corruption are issued light sentences, and even innocence or receive a special pardon."[/size]
[size=45]And she stated, "Democracy in Iraq was reduced to five general electoral processes, which led to the fermentation of alternative non-democratic situations called consensus between the ruling political parties, in which we have now reached the stage of political stalemate."[/size]
[size=45]And Adour added, "The government is for the conduct of daily business, and its agencies are suspended from exercising their functions due to the lack of a budget." And she went on, "The House of Representatives is suspended, despite the passage of nearly five months since the Federal Supreme Court ratified the election results."[/size]
[size=45]Adour expressed her regret that “the Federal Supreme Court concerned with interpreting the texts of the constitution, its recent decisions contributed to the hardening of the political stalemate, instead of trying to dismantle it in the public interest.” It found, "The crisis of the people's mistrust of the ruling class and public institutions has deepened," noting that "the voter participation rate in the October 2021 elections did not exceed 35 percent at best."[/size]
[size=45]Regarding the calls for reform and change launched by political decision-makers, Adwar commented, "There is a proverb that the Iraqis repeat: the experimenter does not try."[/size]
[size=45]And she considered, "Reform and change are an urgent need in the face of the bitter reality in which we live, fraught with dangers, to achieve stability, security and peaceful coexistence among Iraqis, according to a new social contract that guarantees equal citizenship that embraces diversity, social justice and the peaceful transfer of power within the framework of a civil state."[/size]
[size=45]Adwar appealed, “the international community, before it is too late, to take a deliberate initiative, within a specific time limit, towards putting pressure on the Iraqi authorities and political decision-makers, to work seriously to overcome the state of political stalemate and divisions among them, and to give priority to the interests of the Iraqi people over their narrow factional interests, and to respect their international obligations to human rights treaties. She stressed the importance of "integrating civil society organizations into the initiative to activate their role in defending human rights, public freedoms and the rule of law, pressing for an end to impunity, and promoting peaceful coexistence, transparency, accountability, good governance and sustainable development."[/size]
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