Amsterdam (AINA) -- On Friday two members of the Goran Party, a Kurdish opposition party in North Iraq, met with Ms. Attiya Gamri, an Assyrian member of the Provincial Parliament in North Holland, to discuss cooperation between Assyrians and Kurdish opposition groups in North Iraq. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in North Iraq is dominated by two parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), with a number of smaller opposition parties. The Goran Party holds 25 of the 111 seats in the KRG.

Mr. Kawa Hassan and Mr. Rawaz Halkawt represented the Goran Party, which is dedicated to advancing democratic reforms and human rights in North Iraq. The Goran Party delegates met with Ms. Gamri because of her extensive work in human rights in North Iraq. Ms. Gamri stressed the need for equal treatment of Assyrians in the Kurdish region and emphasized the upcoming provincial elections in September, which are critical to Assyrians. Goran Party members expressed their support for Assyrians and their maltreatment under the KRG.

According to Hassan and Halkawt, Assyrians, Kurdish opposition groups and other minorities are routinely discriminated against by the KDP, and there is fear of speaking out against the KDP. Journalists are afraid of criticizing the KDP for fear of losing their jobs and being blacklisted. Some journalists have been jailed or have disappeared. Civil workers are hesitant to voice their opinions for fear of losing their jobs.

"There is no freedom of speech and writing in the KRG region," says Mr. Halkawt, "and no democracy under PUK and KDP rule. The minorities have members in the KRG parliament but fear the PUK and KDP -- they never ask anything for their communities."

According to Ms. Gamri, Assyrian members of the KRG are afraid to speak for the rights of Assyrians in the face of institutional intimidation. For example, the issue of an Assyrian administrative area in the Nineveh Plain has been effectively prevented from being discussed in the KRG.

"Kurds and Assyrians should have the same rights in the KRG region," says Ms. Gamri, "but unfortunatly They do not. If this does not change the national minorities and the intellectuals among the Kurds will leave the KRG region."

Both sides agreed that pressure from the EU countries is needed to change this situation.

The Goran Party delegates asked Ms. Gamri to be a bridge between Assyrians in Holland and the Goran Party in North Iraq. Goran asked that Assyrians work with Kurdish opposition groups toward a free and democratic KRG for Assyrians and Kurds.

Attiya Gamri was recently reelected in the provincial parliament in North Holland, and appointed to the Central Women's Council of the Social Democratic Party (Partij van de Arbeid) in the Netherlands.