Page 20 - DIVA_1_2017

INTERNATIONAL

we have been elected to seat on the
46-
Hakkdri
IRAQ TURKEY Human Rights Council, so that gives
?Otmtyeh
'(Umw)
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0Mtândowab you an indication that Iraq is now on
/
the right path.
Aqrah ) RByb Zanjdri
AlMawyd /'• .1
1M
(S ARBtL' Every country goes through adjust-
—
—
Tall 'Afar
'Arbil
-36oaqqah 5 5 5 - ments. It's a continuous process,
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SYRIAN ARAB Al ar and this should never stop. I think
65
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REPUBLIC S
tO 0Sanandaj that this is an indication of a healthy
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5
country, a healthy government and
Bayji..
ISlAMI RIlpuRolC' 012
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• -'2 . g Harrioadin thinking that you always review and
ALdtUAD IRAN
AbU KarnHl
o Anal,0 adjust. That is a very good indica-
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Samarra'
1
r. Al DIYALA J 340 tion.
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laditBah
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lion,
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At RamSdiA) 2A' Baghdad l-(horromabad Q: How was it for instance, to start
BAGHDAD cl
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-
/ ,Mehrss
AlP'2
ArRw.. with an election process when people
AL ANBAR
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'V \s T had no experience in voting?
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AIaiGha Our people were very anxious to vote,
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\9lwatY9t
WkhaybP ®Al AmSrah even though at that time, the situation
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kh
AL QADISIYAH\ QaIHI Sukkar
- was very bad in Iraq, because of ter-
Qarat dJih
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Qaryat at Q \
dayy dat A / )Hi Ahvaz
rorism and the fact that Al Qaida was
VOraso
0Ar'ar / AN NAJAF
• all over. However, despite the mor-
AnN nyah.
'S-
'--'S
JaIba S 2 tars, bombs, and all the danger, peo-
0AaSalman
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\., ALB\$\H ple took their kids with them, even
( AL MUTHANNA1.
SAUDI ARABIA UmmQr"
\ /
Makhtar at Bu1ayyah though the children were not allowed
o National capital ROOtS 0 I /uw to vote. It was just to show them the
€1 Governorate capital / Al Jahrah,
o Town, vdlage + process of voting. The Iraqi families
+ Airport were very proud that they were going
International boundary
Governorate boundary to vote, and they impressed the world
Expressway 0ttatar at BSn
Main road that they did. They could have got
Secondary road 28°-
0 killed - and some were indeed killed
Railroad
It) 100 tO 20 150 300km
- and yet they came to vote. This only
50
150
100
2000,1
coOa,nwansaodnao,oananss0,nuo,.
0, O5 00 00504 000005
420 440 46° shows how determined they were to
48°
display their dedication and praise to
there. I think that overall the progress the emerging democracy.
made during these 13 years is not so
bad. We came up with a permanent Q: When the war with Kuwait broke
Constitution. During all these years, out, rumours said that it was a com-
L
Iraq did not have a permanent con- pletely set up, in a pure Machiavel-
stitution until 2005, only a temporary lian way. Do you agree?
one. An elected, democratic govern- That's again, the misjudgement of the
ment was another achievement. The dictatorship and the dictator of that
of dictatorship; there is a difference. last achievement we witnessed was time that he was fooled into this. He
Generations were raised during these the one we got in 2014, when we got had the ego and wanted to control
forty years, so we needed a change a new government, and there was a the world, he was given the indica-
in mentality, something that was peaceful and democratic transition. tion that he could go out and con-
definitely not easy. People were badly No matter how far you have come in quer the world.
oppressed. Today, they are breathing the development process, you will al- The Iraqi people were so upset and
this freedom by giving new ideas to ways need to adjust. So, in compari- angry for what the ruler at that time
develop further. We are in the proc- son to the adjustment we must make had done. The Kuwaitis are our
ess of adjusting our goals and aspira- today compared to what we had to do friends, our relatives, and we are so
tions and to make sure that we have in the past, this is close to nothing. close. We have lived so many years
a straight solid ground to move for- In addition, we have been facing together. Many Iraqis did not want to
ward. Daesh and terrorism during these 13 join the army and go to fight. Some
We started out in 2003. We did not years. Despite all these challenges, were even killed because of their atti-
have politicians to rule. Today, they are we have made good progress. Lately tude. I cannot go and fight my neigh-
18 DIVA - INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMAT