Brussels -- The European Parliament celebrated its 50th anniversary in its latest plenary session in Strasbourg which took place between the 10th and 13th of March 2008. One of the items on its agenda was a resolution on the European Union's (EU) role in Iraq after a report prepared by the Committee on Foreign Affairs. The resolution was adopted by the Parliament by a resounding 506 votes for and 25 against, statistics which themselves affirm the importance of this resolution.

The resolution is an important initiative taken by the Parliament and is of specific concern to minorities in Iraq, including the Assyrians. The resolution makes it clear at paragraph J that 'the EU needs to be more strategic in supporting Iraq in its progress towards becoming a democratic federal state', a sentence which is important in that it reflects the EU's acceptance of Iraq choosing to become a federal state.

Of specific importance however are the Parliament's recommendations to the Council of the European Union. The Parliament urges the Council to adopt with the Commission a new strategy that will help the UN in building a safe, stable and united Iraq which, amongst other things, 'protects its minorities and promotes inter-ethnic tolerance'. Furthermore, the Parliament urges the Council to ensure that electoral procedures at the local level are strengthened, a factor especially important this year with Iraqi elections coming up. It is hoped that this emphasis on strengthening electoral procedures prevents the voting irregularities which took place in 2005 from recurring so as to ensure fair and free elections for all Iraqis.

Some points of the resolution are of specific concern to the Assyrian minority in Iraq. For example, paragraph 1.g) urges the EU, under its new strategy, to:

"support the reconciliation process, namely on Kirkuk and other internally disputed territories, including the Assyrian areas known as the Nineveh Plains with their Christian minorities; [