Iraq's Kurdistan parl. introduces changes

Fri Feb 25, 2011

In light of the recent violent protests in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, the Kurdistan regional parliament has announced changes to quell the unrest.

The parliament recently held an extraordinary emergency session in order to agree on measures to bring those responsible for the killings to justice, and to prevent violence in the future, a Press TV correspondent reported from Arbil.

At least four protesters have been killed in the last week, as people in Iraqi Kurdistan's second city of Sulaymaniyah continue to protest against what they call corruption and cronyism of the ruling two-party coalition.

Branches of the major opposition party, the Change List, were targeted in arson attacks throughout the region.

Tempers continue to flare, and reports suggest that a major demonstration is planned in the regional capital of Arbil.

The speaker of the parliament, Kamal Kirkuki, announced the 17 points that had been agreed upon at an impromptu press conference called late Thursday afternoon.

The Kurdistan Parliament on Thursday announced on its official website that all political blocs had signed the 17-point agreement that condemns both the use of force against the protesters in Sulaymaniyah and against the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) headquarters.

Kirkuki also announced that all arrested protesters were to be released, and that future protests ought to be controlled only by the police themselves, and not by the military.

The parliament said that it has announced conciliatory measures aimed at bringing those responsible to justice preventing the repeat of such scenes in the future.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/166916.html.