23 Parties in Kirkuk support resistance of Rojava, stress need to expand mass struggle

Political forces in the city of Kirkuk held a special and expanded meeting that brought together representatives of 23 Kurdish, Arab, and Turkmen parties, at the headquarters of the Kurdistan Communist Party – Iraq. Following the meeting, a statement addressed to public opinion was issued. It was read in Kurdish by Dilshad Hassari, head of the Kirkuk branch of the Communist Party, and in Arabic by Khaled Mouloud, a member of the Kirkuk office of the Iraqi Islamic Party.

The statement affirmed that the meeting was convened to discuss the ongoing developments in Rojava and Syria. The participants concluded with a number of decisions and positions, most notably:

1. Considering the events taking place in Rojava and Syria as a continuation of genocidal policies targeting the Kurdish people and other indigenous components, and as an extension of a long history of oppression practiced by chauvinistic regimes in the Middle East, with the support and silence of occupying and international powers.
2. Strong condemnation and denunciation of the attacks and massacres committed by armed groups affiliated with the Syrian regime and the ISIS organization.
3. Calling on the international community and humanitarian institutions to urgently fulfill their historical and moral responsibilities to protect the Kurdish people and other components from the danger of genocide, and to work toward the immediate cessation of attacks by extremist forces against civilian areas.
4. Calling for the continuation and expansion of mass struggle, and for intensifying popular pressure and diplomatic activities at both the local and international levels to confront the attacks and schemes targeting the Kurdish people in Rojava.
5. Valuing the efforts of figures, parties, and states that have worked to contain and de-escalate the current situation in Rojava.
6. Praising aid campaigns and fundraising efforts as a national and humanitarian duty, and calling on all segments of society to participate in these initiatives.
7. Emphasizing the pivotal role of the media and journalists in mobilizing public sentiment and strengthening national unity, and commending their urgent humanitarian and national response in support of the people of Rojava.

ANHA