Speaker Dr. Rewas Faiq tells Deputy Special Representative Alice Walpole: UN must help protect constitutional rights of regions and components
The Speaker of the Kurdistan Parliament Dr. Rewas Faiq on 7 November welcomed the UNSG’s Deputy Special Representative in Iraq for Political Affairs and Electoral Assistance, Alice Walpole.
Speaker Faiq and Ms. Walpole discussed recent political events and the unrest and demonstrations in Iraq. The Speaker said that the demands of the demonstrators in Iraq are due to poor services and corruption in all areas of the Iraqi government. The continuation of the protests undermines the security of the Iraqi people and even that of the Kurdistan Region, she said.
Dr. Faiq stressed that if the protests continue, more Iraqi IDPs will come to Kurdistan Region, putting Kurdistan under more economic pressure and risking its stability. She said she hopes that the demonstrations will be resolved through dialogue and peaceful means, and that security will be restored to Iraq.
The Speaker said that any constitutional amendments must be done in an atmosphere of calm and security, that the constitutional rights of the people of Kurdistan must be protected and the federal system in Iraq maintained. She called on the UN to have a positive role in protecting the provisions on regions and minorities from constitutional change.
On Kurdistan Parliament’s recent work, Speaker Faiq said that Parliament has passed several laws in recent months, including the Resolution to officially designate the genocide of the Yazidis, and a law on ownership of properties illegally built on municipal land. With the passage of this law, nearly 300,000 homes built illegally by people on low incomes will be registered in order to assist them.
Dr. Faiq also briefed Ms. Walpole and her delegation on a bill on agricultural insurance in Kurdistan Region, which will create a fund to support local agricultural production in the Region.
Deputy Special Representative Walpole was accompanied by Mr. Francesco Revuelto Lanao, UNAMI Political Affairs Officer, and Mr. Ricardo Rodriguez, Head of UNAMI’s Erbil office.