Statement of the Central Committee of the Iraqi Communist Party:
Evacuation Day is Triumph of People’s Will along the Path towards Complete National Independence and Sovereignty
Today, 31st December 2011, marks the evacuation of the last American soldier from the territories of our country in accordance with the agreement on the withdrawal of military forces signed between the Iraqi government and the U.S. government. This big and important event comes as an embodiment of the will of our people and the struggle of their national forces and organizations, along with the Iraqi Communist Party, against the invasion and war and for the departure of all foreign occupation forces from our territories, the restoration of sovereignty and independence, and the eradication of the heavy legacy and consequences of occupation.
The withdrawal of foreign forces constitutes a prominent national landmark in the life of our people, and an achievement of great importance and significance along the path of consolidating national sovereignty and exercising full control by Iraq over its resources, waters and airspace. It also opens the path wide towards complete sovereignty by removing our country from the provisions of articles of Chapter VII of the UN Charter and its restrictions, which constitutes a violation of national sovereignty and is totally unjust to our people because it is no longer justified. It also paves the way forward towards abolishing the remaining penalties and heavy obligations that were imposed on our country by more than 30 UN Security Council resolutions after the invasion of Kuwait by the Saddam’s dictatorial regime.
This historic achievement by the Iraqi national will could not have been possible without the combined efforts of the national forces, and the unification of their positions on official and popular levels in demanding an end to the presence of foreign forces on the territories of our country. It is also a fruit of the patience of the masses of our people, and their steadfastness and sacrifices. What has been achieved today is truly the triumph of the positions of the national forces of all tendencies, and for policies that coincide with the interests of the people and safeguard their lives. Those positions and policies had called for and worked to remove the occupiers and force them to withdraw their troops, by resorting to all the diverse options and possibilities of peaceful mass and political struggle which were provided by the atmosphere of public freedoms after the fall of the dictatorial regime.
The withdrawal of foreign forces puts the government, and its military and security institutions in particular, in front of new and grave responsibilities, to achieve full readiness and training, consolidate their reconstruction on the basis of the principle of citizenship, efficiency and fidelity to the new Iraq and respect for the Constitution, away from the practice of sectarian "balance", power-sharing and narrow regional and partisan tendencies. However, achieving and maintaining full sovereignty and seizing complete independence of Iraqi national decision-making, in the face of external pressures and interference, requires the strengthening of national unity and consolidating the process of building a democratic civil state on the basis of citizenship and respect for human rights.
These big historical challenges have put all the national forces participating in the political process, and those forces that dominate political power in particular, to a serious test, requiring them to enhance their sense of responsibility towards the destiny of the people and the homeland, by overcoming factionalism, sectarianism, and narrow partisan calculations, and abandoning the policy of competing to share the positions of influence and the spoils which is rejected by the masses of the people.
Unfortunately, the policies and positions of the blocs that are dominating political power at this stage have exposed them, in front of the masses of people as well as their own constituents, as being determined to behave in a strange irresponsible manner. They have been shown to be unconcerned about drawing lessons and averting dangerous consequences that may be caused by their rivalries and disputes.
Instead of thinking about the need for all the participants in the political process to sit at one table to deliberate and discuss the obligations of the post-occupation phase and the mechanisms and tools for its administration, accusations have escalated between the forces that are in control of power and the political situation has exploded once again. It is, this time, a dangerous crisis between the two biggest blocs in the government and parliament, the Iraqiya and the State of Law. A climate of escalating sectarian and regional tensions has developed, with widespread fear and anticipation among all citizens. The fate of the country has once again been held hostage to the conflict between these two blocs and their bickering.
This new reality has revived evil plans of terrorist forces, and provided them with a convenient opportunity to commit a new heinous crime on Thursday, 22nd December 2011, with hundreds of people killed and wounded.
The present dangerous situation in Iraq has impelled the living forces of society and the parties and personalities that are concerned for the fate of the country, including the Iraqi Communist Party, to speak out to condemn this dangerous game, reaffirming their calls upon the competing parties to realize the gravity of the situation into which they are pushing the country. They have called for starting a national dialogue that includes all the participants in the political process in order to prepare for a broad National Conference which would diffuse the current crisis, correct the path of the political process, and formulate a concrete joint program of action that emphasizes the common national positions among political forces and serves as a road map that is binding on everyone for running the country during the current phase. This conference would also develop real mechanisms for national partnership in government, away from the infamous sectarian-ethnic power-sharing policy.
In this regard, our Party calls upon all political forces and parties, which are concerned for the fate of Iraq and the future of its people, to respond favorably to the sincere calls that have emanated recently from many political and governmental quarters and reflected the desire of broad masses of our people, which have called for everyone to sit at one table and engage in mutual dialogue to diffuse the ongoing crises, search for an effective solution to the current crisis, and save our country from the unknown fate into which it may slide.
Central Committee
Iraqi Communist Party
31st December 2011
