MEPs remember Halabja chemical attack at exhibition in European Parliament
The exhibition about Halabja was organised by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Mission to the EU and the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO), as part of the KRG’s global campaign for recognition of the Kurdish Genocide in Iraq. It was supported by MEP Joanna Senyszyn, Vice Chair of the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights, who welcomed more than 100 visitors.
Ms Senyszyn said, “These pictures show one of the worst human disasters of the modern era. By remembering this, we can make a positive difference and help to ensure that the human tragedy of genocide is never again repeated."
MEP Struan Stevenson, Chair of the European Parliament's Delegation to Iraq, called on the EU and international organisations to follow the example of the British parliament in recognising the Kurdish genocide. He said, “The world must recognize what happened in the Anfal campaign as genocide. The parliament in the UK has recognised it formally as the Kurdish Genocide and it is a lesson to the world that we all recognize the Kurdish genocide and the people who died”.
MEPs from different political groups attended the opening, among them Mr Hans-Gert Pöttering, former EP President and Chairmen of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Ms Ana Gomes, Socialists and Democrats Foreign Affairs Coordinator; and Mr Jorgen Klute, Chair of the EP Kurdish Friendship Group. Many diplomats and representatives of European and Kurdish NGOs and political parties were also present.
MEP Hans-Gert Pöttering said, “May the Kurdish people shown in the exhibition be a reminder to us of our responsibility towards men, women and children outside the borders of the EU, and may it also humbly remind us of the challenges this responsibility brings.”
Mr Pöttering also said, “Two years ago I visited Kurdistan in Iraq and I have great respect for the Kurdish people who never gave up their principles, tolerance or religious freedom, which is difficult to defend especially in this region of the world. Persecuted Christians from the south of the country had to leave their homes and find support and peace in the Kurdish part.”
Mr Delavar Ajgeiy, Head of the KRG Mission to the EU, described the tragic events of March 16, 1988. He urged the European Parliament to formally recognize the genocide against the Kurds in Iraq and called on the United Nations to do likewise. “We also ask our friends in the European Parliament and other international organisations to play a stronger role in the international recognition of the genocide against the Kurds.”
MEP Ana Gomes shared her personal experience. She said, “I went to Iraq, talked to Sunni and Shia, visited Erbil and Halabja. I will never forget what I saw. And it is not just the mass graves, which struck me so much. It is talking to the living, who are still experiencing the trauma, the physical pain, the children with birth defects and diseases. And it was very important for me to say that we have a duty to do something about Halabja, about the people of Halabja.”
MEP Jorgen Klute underlined the importance of the exhibition on Halabja in the EP in order to bring better understanding of these tragic events and contribute to their recognition as genocide. But he expressed his doubts about the willingness of some countries to take a position in the debate because of their involvement in chemical weapons supplies to the former Iraqi regime.
Iraq’s Ambassador to Belgium and the EU, Dr Mohammed Abdullah Humaimidi, said, “We, the Iraqi people, have learned the lesson. Therefore we decided to build a democratic, federal and united Iraq, based on respect for the people’s will and therein decided to ratify a constitution with democratic mechanisms which prevent the return of a dictatorial racial regime and are determined to ensure that all the components of the Iraqi people enjoy a decent and prosperous life.”
