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Appeal to the Assembly of the Council of Europe, to the Council of Europe member states and their political parties to support the democratic process in the new Iraq

Doc. 10321
7 October 2004

Written Declaration No 359

This written declaration commits only the members who have signed it


            On June 8th 2004 the Security Council of the United Nations unanimously adopted a Resolution on the future of Iraq, stipulating, amongst other things, that free and fair elections should take place in Iraq between December 30, 2004 and January 31, 2005, in order to transform Iraq into a democratic, pluralist and federalist nation respecting human rights and international law.

            The results of these elections will decide the future of the new Iraq after the fall of the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein. Therefore the international community should do its utmost to help the Iraqi people and their interim-government to ensure truly free and fair elections.

            Existing and new political parties must prepare themselves for these elections.

            In order to ensure the quality of these elections it is vital that participating political parties receive, if requested, broad assistance from related political parties in Europe.

            Therefore we urge European political parties to do everything possible to stimulate the democratic process in Iraq and to assist Iraqi political parties on their way to free and fair elections in January 2005.

            We also urge the Assembly of the Council of Europe to demand broad support from the governments of its Member States and their political parties to ensure these objectives.

Signed: [1]
KOX, Tiny, Netherlands, UEL
AGRAMUNT FONT DE MORA, Pedro, Spain, EPP/CD
ATKINSON, David, United Kingdom, EDG
AZZOLINI, Claudio, Italy, EPP/CD
CHRISTODOULIDES, Doros, Cyprus, UEL
COSARCIUC, Valeriu, Moldova, LDR
CUBREACOV, Vlad, Moldova, EPP/CD
EINARSSON, Mats, Sweden, UEL
ELO, Mikko, Finland, SOC
GARSDAL, Lene, Denmark, UEL
GOLDBERG, Pierre, France, UEL
GUBERT, Renzo, Italy, EPP/CD
IVANOV, Alexei, Moldova, UEL
JUDD, United Kingdom, SOC
KANELLI, Liana, Greece, UEL
OLIYNYK, Boris, Ukraine, UEL
PAOLETTI TANGHERONI, Patrizia, Italy, EPP/CD
PLATVOET, Leo, Netherlands, UEL
POSTOICO, Maria, Moldova, UEL
PRIJMIREANU, Dumitru, Moldova, UEL
RAKHANSKY, Anatoliy, Ukraine, UEL
S�NDERGAARD, S�ren, Denmark, UEL

__________________________

Total = 22


[1]

SOC
EPP
EDG
LDR
UEL
NR

Socialist Group
Group of the European People’s Party
European Democratic Group
Liberal, Democratic and Reformers’ Group
Group of the Unified European Left
Not registered in a group