3-28-08, 10:27 am

Statement of the Iraqi Communist Party on Recent Escalation of Violence

Acts of violence have escalated once again, in many provinces and cities of Iraq. This has resulted in bloodshed and loss of precious lives, thus inflicting heavy damage to our people and homeland, hindering efforts to remedy the political situation and rebuild the state on sound foundations that fulfil the rights of all Iraqis.

Perhaps one of the most important requirements to achieve this is the need to ensure the rule of law, resorting to it and renouncing all subjective tendencies and narrow political calculations, so that the law is applied to all without exception. It should be accompanied by disbanding the militias completely, and ensuring that arms remain only in the hands of the state. This would inevitably lead to real security and stability for our people and put an end to the cycle of recurrent crises.

Our Party has always stressed its support for every patriotic effort, and every endeavour in that direction, expressing its readiness to fully cooperate with all other national forces in order to achieve this.

We, in the Iraqi Communist Party, out of a sense of national responsibility, and driven by a genuine desire to spare our country further woes and disasters, call for ending the bloodshed, and for resorting to direct constructive dialogue that takes into consideration, first and foremost, the interest of Iraq and its people. This dialogue should be based on considerations that really help to establish a state of law and institutions; a modern democratic state, which guarantees the freedoms of all citizens that are expressed in a peaceful civilized manner.

We also appeal to the national government to play a positive role in this matter, and to embark on concrete practical steps that would ensure the creation of an appropriate atmosphere, in order to achieve a political settlement that can stop the bloodshed and at the same time preserve the rights the state and its authority.

Our Party calls on the masses of our people and their national forces to unite their efforts and do all they can to renounce the language of arms and activate the role of reason, dialogue and common concern for strengthening national unity and the position of our people and country in the face of big challenges.

Political Bureau of the Central Committee Iraqi Communist Party 26/3/2008