Dear friend,

Please see the attachment circulate and give your support.

Many Thanks

Nazaneen Rashid

Everyone welcome:

The London meeting of (CPKP):

When: Tuesday 25th of February

Time:  6pm - 8pm
Where: Priory Community Centre
Acton Lane, London W3 8NY
Nearest Underground Station: Acton Town
Buses: 207, 607, 266, 70.

Welcome: Registration and membership update:

Agenda:
- Nazaneen Rashid: Introduction: background and the objective of the meeting
- Speakers each talk for 5-10 min
- All - Debate
- Resolutions of the Meeting: the meeting will study the current objectives given in the meeting and propose a resolution that the meeting will agree on. The resolution will become the ground for campaign of the group
- Next step: Methods of progressing and implementing of the resolutions
- Goodbye

Further information

If you wish to be part of this committee or if you wish to have more
information, please contact:

Nazaneen Rashid at:
Tel./Fax: 020 8743 4711
Mobile: 077 8684 4032
Email: [email protected]

or

Dr. Rebwar Fatah on:
Mobile: 077 6172 8041
Email: [email protected]

Please join this initiative and raise your voice for the sake of the Kurdish people.
Who should attend?

This is the first London meeting of Kurdish organizations and their friends to reflect the concerns of the Diaspora.We invite the media, international NGOs, Kurdish and non-Kurdish personalities, Kurdish and non-Kurdish organizations and experts who can contribute positively to the debate.

   

Organisations:    

1	Abdul-Qadir Muhamad Amin - the editor in Chief of the US-based Kurdish Barzan Newspaper
2	Berivan Doski - Kurdish Housing Association
3	Jalal Jonroy - Newroz films
4	Jef Klein - KurdishMedia.com
5	Mofaq Sorani - Australian Community Association
6	Nazand Bagikhani - Kurdish Women Action against Honour Killing
7	Nazaneen Rashid - International Medical Relief
8	Rebwar Fatah - KurdishMedia.com
9	Tim Symonds - Women in Politics
10	Danny Solle - Campaigner and documentary film maker
11	Ghiath Naqishbandi - Kurdish Cultural House South Australia
12	Ibrahim Tedkemir - Australian Kurdish Association
13	Nijyar Shemdin - Kurdistan Regional Government USA
14	Rashid Zawity - Kurdish Association of NEW
15	Salah Germiyan- CHAK
16	Saman Shali - KNC
17	Shwan Ahmad - Producer of KurdTV
18	Tim Symonds - Women in Politics
19	Washington Kurdish Institute

 

Individuals :

 

1	Alan Duddey
2	Alice Bridger
3	Aree Azad
4	Aree Aziz
5	Azad Kadir
6	Babakr Draey
7	Bahiya Jaff
8	Berivan Kittani
9	Carl Bridger
10	Cheryl Bridger
11	Choman Hardy
12	Chro Zand  writer
13	Dilshad M. Salim
14	Dr. Fereydun Hilmi - writer, scientist, former Kurdistan Regional Government Deputy Minister
15	Dr. Hajar Maroof
16	Dr. Hamid Saraj
17	Dr. Hawar Golani
18	Dr. Zuhair Bamerni
19	Dr.Ali Amin
20	Elizabeth Vice
21	Fredrick Cloyed
22	Genea Lennox
23	Haci Akaman, Associate Professor
24	Hunar Jabary
25	Jef Klein, KurdishMedia.com writer
26	Joanna Hewazy
27	John Bridger
28	Kany Aziz
29	Kawan Komath
30	Khalid Aziz
31	Kurda Ismaeil Aref
32	Kurda Ismael Areef
33	Lajan Dilan
34	Lanja Kadir
35	Medya Zahawi
36	Mehabat Salih
37	Mentor Dragusha
38	Mohsen Shaswari
39	Mohsen Shasweri,  businesmen
40	Nazira Gafoor
41	Niaz Baziani
42	Ranj Kadir
43	Rebin Kadir
44	Roni Alasor,  journalist
45	Salim Celiker
46	Sana Bamerni
47	Sean Komath
48	Sherin Mustafa
49	Stephen C Pelletiere
50	Tana Jabary
51	Tara Jaff  Kurdish, artist
52	Teresa George
53	Tresesa Thornhill, writer
54	Trude Falch
54	Zhiwan Aziz

 

Further information :

 

If you wish to be part of this committee or if you wish to have more information, please contact:

Nazaneen Rashid at:

Tele/Fax: 020 8743 4711

Mobile: 077 8684 4032

Email: [email protected]

or

Dr. Rebwar Fatah on:

Mobile: 077 6172 8041

Email: [email protected]

Please join this initiative and raise your voice for the sake of the Kurdish people.

 

Background :

 

The Committee for the Protection of Kurdish people (CPKP) is the initiative of an international network of Kurdish activists and their friends who met at the end of January 2003 in London and have since been engaged in lively discussion in order to find the means to protect the Kurdish people, given the probability of a war in Iraq. As a consequence of this war the Kurdish civilian population may well be a target of the Iraqi regime.

There is a possibility that chemical and biological weapons will be used against civilians. This happened in 1988 when Saddam bombarded city of Halabja, using chemical weapons that killed five thousand Kurds, mainly women and children, within minutes.

It will not be just weapons of mass-destruction that will kill and destroy. The Iraqi regime may also repeat the Kuwaiti experience of burning, in this case, the oil wells of the Kurdish cities of Kirkuk, Khanaqeen and Mosul. The smoke from these wells could kill vulnerable people, such as children, elderly and pregnant women, and damage the environment and natural life with implications for generations to come.

A possible US-British bombardment would also be damaging to the people and the environment. It is predicted that some 3000 missiles will be used in the first 48 hours of the war. As it was experienced in the Gulf War in 1991, these are not only conventional weapons but may have nuclear heads. The accuracy of these weapons has also been questioned after intensive studies of the last Gulf War.

Other more resourceful nations, which may even be under less direct threat than the Kurds, have rightly taken protective measures in order not be impacted by a possible Iraqi attack. For example, the Israeli government has provided its citizen with protection and advice in the form of masks, respirators and leaflets.

No substantial preparations appear to have been made by the Kurdistan Regional Governments for the protection of their citizens. Despite attempts by the KRG [KDP] to reassure the committee, there is not enough evidence to convince the committee - [please see attached letter]. This may be understandable, as the Kurdish authorities have neither the resources nor the expertise in these highly sophisticated and extremely expensive protective measures.

The Kurdistan Regional Governments must understand that there is an international expectation that they will take steps to protect their citizens and that if they do not do so they will justifiably be held to account.

The committee is planning to soon hold similar meetings in America, Sweden, Germany and other European countries.

The committee expects the US and Britain, the leading nations in the war against Iraq, to be fully responsible for the protection of the Kurdish people in the Kurdistan de facto state. After all, the backbone of their "case against Iraq" relies on the oppression of the Kurds by Saddam's regime. The gassing of Halabja in 1988 by the Iraqi regime has been at the heart of the case against Iraq.

Availability of Antibiotics and masks in Kurdistan

Our team in Kurdistan investigated whether masks and antibiotics were available in Kurdistan, and if so what are the prices were.

Our investigations show that masks are not available at all in Kurdistan, even in the black-market. In fact due to such shortage people have started to experiment with different items to make masks.

Antibiotics on the other hand are not very expensive in Kurdistan, but the variety is confusing the consumers. Antibiotics in Kurdistan come from different countries, such as, Jordan, Iran, Egypt, and Western countries and through the UN Resolution 986. Their prices differ between 5 to 30 Iraqi Dinars in the registered chemists. Corner shops have also started offering medicines and their prices differ too.

Proposals by the committee

Specific instructions, perhaps via the local media, should be provided as well as the mass distribution of protective masks. The international community should make these masks available. International experts in these fields could also offer advice via the local media. However, protective measures should not result in terrifying the population and creating panic in the region.

We have raised this issue with the international community, particularly in the US and Britain. As yet there is not a clear understanding of the threat to the Kurdish people. We shall also be in contact with the international media.

- People should be given masks and instructions. At the minimum level, masks should be provided to health and military personnel.

- Instruct and advice the people with protective and preventative measures and the media should have an important role in this.

- Identify useful web sites to provide information that doctors in Kurdistan can access.

- Find out through establishing contact with the health ministries of both Kurdish administrations what has been done, as there have been few meetings between the health officials and NGO's.

- Combat the negative role of the international media, since it can play a negative role in creating panic.

- Emphasis should be put on what has been done in both Israeli and Kuwait to highlight possible ways of protective measures.

- Organize demonstrations against the presence of any Turkish military force in Kurdistan, since this threat is as dangerous for the population as weapons of mass destruction. A demonstration should be organized by the end of February, or the beginning of March.

- Develop promptly a political response and a strategy as to how to deal with this situation and what there is we can do to prevent political and military developments that would harm Kurdistan and its population. This may be achieved by the use of the current strong worldwide focus on the Iraq-US conflict.

- Speak out our rights and demands and make the European public aware of what is going on and the games that are played.

- Educate the public in the European countries through campaigns.

- 16 March, the commemoration day of chemical attack of Halabja, to be recognized as an international day for banning mass killing weapons.

What has been said about the initiative?

"Thank you for the new document. Just for your information Secretary General in NPA has already attended a meeting in MFA in Norway and brought up several of your main points after she received a copy of the first document." - Trude Falch

"We are expressing our strong support for your initiative to protect the Kurdish people in Kurdistan. Similar concerns were raised in a meeting organized by committee members of Kurdish Cultural House on 11/02/2003. KCH in South Australia would like to be actively involved in proposed committee and would like to be in constant contact with the committee via KurdishMedia.com web site and other forms of communication." - Ghiath Naqishbandi on behalf of Kurdish Cultural House - Australia

"We in CHAK would like to notify you that we wish to cooperate with your committee and even be part of it in order to protect our people in Kurdistan." - Salah Germiyan - On behalf of CHAK

"I am an elderly woman of 72 years of age but I shall be very happy to give what help I can to help the international communities understand the danger faced by the Kurdish communities in the event of a war with Iraq. Please let me know what help would be most useful, e.g. approaching our Members of Parliament / our Members of the European Parliament." - Elizabeth Vice

"On behalf of Kurdish Housing Association I would like to express our full support to your committee and would be privileged to participate in this meeting at a time and venue that you suggest." - Berivan Dosky - Kurdish Housing Association

"We all appreciate your hard work and we do try and make your voice heard in our work. Send me more about widows/violence/poverty when you can. We admire you." - Margaret Owen - WIDOWS for PEACE and EWD

"Please be informed that while your feelings and concerns are appreciated, the Kurdistan Regional Governments are just as concerned about a war and its possible effects on our people. A lot has been done in the past months to protect the Kurds and other Iraqis. A joint High Committee for Disaster Management is in place to handle the crisis in the areas under its control. They have plans in place and are ready to receive up to 500,000 IDPs [Internally Displaced People] and another 400,000 from the center or south of the country. Any help from you aimed at Protection of Kurdish people and that from NGOs and governments to protect them and all other Iraqis has to be coordinated through the KRG High Committee." - Hoshyar Siwaily, Deputy Minister for Humanitarian Aid and Cooperation in ARBIL and a member of the Committee for Disaster Preparedness and Crisis Management.