SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Co-president Bafel Talabani said on Tuesday the party wants to build a Kurdistan where rights and duties are divided fairly.
Talabani released a statement on the occasion of the 46th anniversary of the founding of the PUK, saying the new PUK, after its congress, had developed the struggle for rights.
“We want to solve the current fundamental issues of the Kurdistan Region by taking advantage of the intellectual principles and social democratic institutions and by implementing them in the system of governance,” Talabani said.
“We want to build a Kurdistan where rights and duties are divided fairly and in a balanced way,” he added. “We want to root out the political and economic monopoly, and create a governance that’s responsible and the protector of people’s rights, and that makes your life easy and prosperous. We will not allow it to create political interests and crisis after crisis.”
“We completely believe that the major way to achieve these goals is to establish a balanced power, to respect the position of citizens, rights and freedoms, to abide by the authority of the institutions, and to obey the rule of law and the independence of courts at all levels,” he stated.
Talabani continued to say that the PUK would be a party for people without making threats, pressure and personal interests.
“Till drafting a constitution that’s approved by the people, the amendment of election law, returning prestige to parliament, activating government and nationalizing the armed forces, we will prove the promise by actions that the PUK will be people’s party regardless threats, pressure and personal interests, will be a defender of your rights and interests, and will consider them as its high goal and will be responsible for struggling for them,” he said.
He further said the PUK’s door would remain opened for any party or people who want to struggle for a better future on the basis of public interests of the Region’s people.
“We want to be cohesive with all sides inside the Region. Any political party that wants to be with us to rebuild Kurdistan, we will put the hands of cooperation and brotherhood into our hands,” he added.
The PUK co-president said the party would extend a good neighboring relation with the neighboring countries on the basis of common interests, and that it would work with the developed countries to protect the people’s rights.
“We will make political processes with Iraqi forces and parties, but we do not compromise on rights and achievements, which have been achieved by the blood of tens of thousands of victims,” he said.
“The PUK will continue to protect the entity of the Kurdistan Region, protect the constitutional rights of our people and to own Kirkuk and the disputed territories.”
