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Sydney - November 11, 2007 On Sunday, November 11 2007, the Assyrian Universal Alliance (AUA) Australian Chapter held an open meeting which was attended by many Assyrians residing in Sydney. The evening commenced with the pledge to the Australian and Assyrian national anthems, followed by a welcoming speech from Mr. David M. David, Executive Board member of the AUA. Mr. Hermiz Shahen, Secretary of the AUA, was introduced and then proceeded to present a comprehensive report on the current situation of our Assyrian people residing in Iraq. Mr. Shahen described the steps taken by the AUA to accentuate the current situation to the Australian government and to gain support for the legitimate rights of our Assyrian people residing in Iraq. The following is an excerpt of his report: “As a result of continued bombing, killing and forced displacement directed towards our Assyrian people, a united effort is required, in order to stop this criminal behavior and in turn, to claim our national rights. It is known to everyone that Christians of Iraq, more specifically, our Assyrian people are against attempts to split the country of Iraq. However the civil war, waged by suspicious foreign powers to destabilize the country, and the ongoing fight between brothers from the Sunni and Shiite communities to take control of the government and administration of the country, has weakened the national issue and encouraged the idea of partition as a compromise in order to stop bloodshed and to restore security and stability to the country. Our Assyrian community in Iraq was denied any role in the administrative or political affairs of the country, even though they did not take any part in that civil war. Even worse, our Assyrian people in Iraq are the most at risk of persecution, extortion and looting. This has led to them escaping from the larger cities of Baghdad, Mosul and Basra, leaving behind all properties which are then subject to being looted. Today, the number of displaced Christians in Iraq exceeds six hundred thousand people. They are now forced to live in extremely difficult’ and wretched conditions . Various Assyrian political parties and most notably, the AUA have worked hard for many years to try to improve the situation of our people in Iraq. The AUA have previously organised many marches and demonstrations in Europe, the U.S.A. and Australia, to expose chauvinism against the Iraqi people, in particular our Assyrian people. While calling on the pulpit of the United Nations, international bodies and Western governments to improve the situation of our people in Iraq, our parties took an active role in supporting the Iraqi opposition in its goal to overthrow the governing regime of saddam. As a result, the AUA were targeted by the regime in the West. During the AUA’s 11th Worldwide Congress held in Sydney on 13th November 1978, the leaders of the AUA were subject to a cowardly mustard gas poisoning attack after refusing to comply with the conditions and bribes requested by the regime’s agents. Unfortunately, after all these efforts and support, our people face a continuous struggle to liberate Iraq from dictatorship and slavery. Our Assyrians, the indigenous people of Iraq are excluded from all major administrative and government involvement. The sons and daughters of the ancestors that have filled the Museums of the World with history, are abandoning all their possessions and fleeing towards a dark future. Those who dare to deny the legitimate rights of the people of Assyria, the cradle of civilization, will be cursed by the heavens and the Earth” Mr. Shahen, then requested all Assyrian political parties to renounce their differences and unite in order to defend the rights of our Assyrian people in Iraq. He recalled that the recent demand by the majority of the political parties for self-government and self-administration in the Assyrian region is the least that a nation who have deep historical roots in the homeland can claim. He reminded the audience that Assyrians had fought for their rights since the beginning of the First World War and as a result, gave thousands of martyrs for their fight. Mr. Shahen finally thanked Mr. Paul Azzo, active member of the Assyrian community and Adviser to the AUA on foreign affairs, for his role and ongoing support. Finally, Mr. Edwin Babila, member of the AUA Executive Board and Chairman of the Urmia Branch, submitted a detailed report on the conditions of our people in Iran, and about the last conference held in Iran under the auspices of the Asia Chapter Secretary, Assyrian Representative in the Iranian Parliament, Mr. Yonatan Bet Kolia. Mr. Babila praised the role of the Iranian government and the Iranian officials for their full support of the conference and for their hospitality and the facilities they provided for the delegates that arrived from 14 countries. To conclude the meeting, there was a question and answers session and video footage of the conference that was held in Iran. Assyrian Universal Alliance- Australian Chapter
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