The EU must help build a 'new Iraq'
by Mario Mauro
30 September 2011
The ideals that characterised the Arab spring are in danger of being stifled in Iraq, and the EU must help the country rebuild
It is time to start building a new Iraq.
In Baghdad the government of national unity has never been fully formed. Three important ministries – Foreign Affairs, the Interior Ministry and the Ministry of Defence – are still vacant. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki holds all the proxies. And the National Board for Strategic Policy has not been formed.
In this context, the ideals of freedom and democracy that characterised the Arab spring are in danger of being stifled by religious and ethnic sectarianism, with a serious risk to minorities especially Christians.
The international community is dangerously fluctuating between ambiguity and meaninglessness.
The fall of the King of Terror, Osama Bin Laden, would be in vain if it we do not assume our responsibilities and, consequently, defend with dignity and courage human rights for everyone.
It is time for European Union institutions to contribute to speed up the process towards a constitution corresponding with the needs of the country's freedom and democracy. Today, we are in the middle of negotiations for a historic partnership agreement between the EU and Iraq.
As rapporteur for the European Parliament on this agreement, I would like to give voice to all the people in Iraq that wish to contribute to the building of this new reality based on democracy, human rights, religious freedom and the rights of minorities.
For all these reasons, the inclusion of these principles in the agreement text remains a priority. It is not conceivable that the agreement would be reduced solely in the interests of two political parties.
It should be an instrument for the EU to contribute to bringing peace back to the country.
Mario Mauro MEP is the European Parliament's rapporteur on the EU-Iraq cooperation agreement, and a member of the European People's Party
It is time to start building a new Iraq.
In Baghdad the government of national unity has never been fully formed. Three important ministries – Foreign Affairs, the Interior Ministry and the Ministry of Defence – are still vacant. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki holds all the proxies. And the National Board for Strategic Policy has not been formed.
In this context, the ideals of freedom and democracy that characterised the Arab spring are in danger of being stifled by religious and ethnic sectarianism, with a serious risk to minorities especially Christians.
The international community is dangerously fluctuating between ambiguity and meaninglessness.
The fall of the King of Terror, Osama Bin Laden, would be in vain if it we do not assume our responsibilities and, consequently, defend with dignity and courage human rights for everyone.
It is time for European Union institutions to contribute to speed up the process towards a constitution corresponding with the needs of the country's freedom and democracy. Today, we are in the middle of negotiations for a historic partnership agreement between the EU and Iraq.
As rapporteur for the European Parliament on this agreement, I would like to give voice to all the people in Iraq that wish to contribute to the building of this new reality based on democracy, human rights, religious freedom and the rights of minorities.
For all these reasons, the inclusion of these principles in the agreement text remains a priority. It is not conceivable that the agreement would be reduced solely in the interests of two political parties.
It should be an instrument for the EU to contribute to bringing peace back to the country.
Mario Mauro MEP is the European Parliament's rapporteur on the EU-Iraq cooperation agreement, and a member of the European People's Party
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COMMENTS
I think the democracy in Iraq is still in its early age so it needs time to be a reality, the same for other Arab countries. Tribal and and ethinc desires still exist and it will not disappear untill all parts trust each other.
abdulkarim Inad Mutlak - Baghdad/Iraq/ACTED
