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Meltha Magazine Online

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1995, Volume 1, No.3-4, pages 30-32

Bet-Nahrain Democratic Party

4th CONGRESS 195

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

The fourth congress of Bet-Nahrain Democratic Party (BNDP) was held in September 22nd to 25th at the Holiday Inn center, Chicago, Illinois.

All the BNDP international branches except Australia delegated their representatives to this venue. The delegates accepted that the Australian BNDP branch had a definite excuse not to participate this time.

The agenda included among other important issues the BNDP cooperation with political movements and parties both in the Diaspora and in the land of the two rivers as well as the strengthening and proliferation of BNDP First Branch in Northern Iraq.

The delegates unanimously came to the decision to call all Assyrian political movements and parties for fraternal peace and cooperation.

Concerning the strengthening and proliferation of BNDP First Branch in Northern Iraq the delegates looked at the issues connected with the branch structure and its ties with other local patriotic organizations as well as with the use of mass media to boost nationalistic propaganda and financing of the BNDP First Branch in Northern Iraq. It was also stressed that BNDP needs a definite action program for Northern Iraq as well as an increased number of public political and cultural centers among those organizations which act successfully in Arbil, Dohuk, Shaklava and Zakho. An ad hoc committee was suggested to work out the BNDP action program.

The, ,delegates also focused on the party disc J.nary measures against the British BNDP branch in view of their destructive acts that never go along with the idea of the democratic pluralism.

The delegates then came to grips with BNDP leading structure. Many delegates pointed out that the principle of collective leadership is hardly in line with the current course of BNDP and with the strengthening of its authority on the international scale.

Chairman and General Secretary of the party will be elected from now on as was accepted by the Congress.

At the closing meeting, the BNDP bodies were shaken up with new alternative candidates. Therefore 17 new members were elected to the Central Committee from Iraq, USA, Canada, Sweden, Denmark, England, Germany, Malta, Russia, Iran and Australia. 7 delegates to the Congress were elected to the BNDP Political Bureau, namely, Mr. Anvar Adam (Denmark), Mr. Eeshaya David (Iraq), Mr. William Dadesho (USA), Mr. Romeo Nissan (Iraq), Dr. Sargon Dadesho (USA), Mr. Hubert Isaac (USA) and Rabbi Yaku Youkhanna (Sweden). The newly elected Chairman is Mr. Anvar Adam (Denmark). The newly elected General Secretary is Mr. Romeo Nissan (Iraq).

Following the closure of the Congress a press conference was held to mass media and the Assyrian community of Chicago. This conference was hosted by Mr. Youel Natali (Chicago), Mr. Anvar Adam (Denmark), Mr. Romeo Nissan (Iraq) and Dr. Sargon Dadesho (California).

Here, below is the word to the Congress from the Fourth BNDP Branch spoken by Dr .Sargis Ossipov, a delegate from Russia.

Dear friends,

We cordially greet you and wish successful work for the benefit of our people and in the name of future for our nation. We would like to share with you our position and shall greatly appreciate if it would be presented to your attention.

Prior to the discussion of practical activities of BNDP we feel it necessary to clearly define its status. We believe that BNDP in the course of its 25-year old history has all grounds to become a mass party of the consensus type. Tactically such task can be solved by establishing consulting-coordinating unions comprising political groups, groupings, clubs, even parties in every region with active Assyrian community rather than organizing Party branches in different regions. At the same time maintaining the political center of BNDP as a political bureau or political council with a strong intellectual group of people which will theoretically determine the aspects of BNDP further development.

To reach the consolidation of all national and patriotic forces we think that the goals of all public and political organizations should be minimized to avoid any conflicts. Such priority goal to our mind is the preservation of our nation which is scattered all over the world and creation of the national hearth in any possible form. What are the I ways to attain this goal? The prerequisite to 1 preserve the nation is a universal declaration of the ethnic unity of all Assyrians, Jacobites, Chaldeans scattered all around the globe. Solution of this problem is possible only if we have powerful mass media for further inclusion into worldwide information programs. The most powerful though vital, extraordinarily emotional and terribly desirable is a goal to create our home hearth. In all times the most simple and acceptable tactics to attain this goal has been the principle of transfer aimed at the creation of homogeneous regions in ethnic respect. One of the active supporters of this tactics during the First World War directed towards elimination of the Assyrian-Kurdish conflict was General Agha Putrus. It is also known that in the 3O-s the principle of transfer for the termination of the Arab- Jewish conflict was actively pursued by one of the most radical leaders of the Zionist movement Zeev Jabotinsky. The military conflict in Nagorny Karabakh has practically brought to the tactics of transfer between Azerbadjan and Armenia. With only one difference that transfer in Armenia was bloodless while in Azerbadjan it had horrible forms of bloodcurdling genocide. Today we are compelled to return to the project of General Agha Putrus. But for its implementation we must select the most peaceful, ecconomic way. It is meant to purchase gradually land in the least vulnerable zone: joint of Arab and Kurdish regions of Iraq with subsequent migration of Assyrians from the Northern Iraq first of all who are constantly pressed by the Kurdish rebel movement. That will enable them to avoid political collaboration with any of the conflicting parties. Basing on this position seems realistic and acceptable such form of a national hearth as a cultural and spiritual center for the whole nation as we imagine the revived Nineveh. The project of revival of the ancient Nineveh as a historic monument to human civilization might acquire a universal international character and undoubtedly will be supported by any regime in modem Iraq. Because it is the prestige of the state which is the cradle of our civilization. It is quite natural that the revived Nineveh and the adjacent regions (so-called " Assyrian triangle") will be populated with Assyrians from Iraq who live on both sides of the 36th parallel. Any other geopolitical claims may become tragic for our people.

In this respect it is necessary to re-orient the policy of interrelations of the Diaspora and Atra. The Diaspora should change the structure of aid directed to the Northern Iraq. We believe it is time to purchase land in certain regions in order to establish agricultural, ethnically homogeneous, populated areas which will become the grounds of the Assyrian presence in the Motherland. Such tactics in addition to some other advantages may lead to the creation of original "buffer" zone between Arabs and Kurds who will certainly benefit from the neighborhood with peace loving and economically prosperous Assyrian element. For this purpose a transnational share holding society should be instituted, the shares of which would be distributed in the Diaspora and its financial resources will be allocated for establishing and development of the Assyrian populated areas in the mother country .

Dear friends, by presenting to you our opinion we do not pretend to your complete approval and support however we are pre- pared to the most broad discussion both within BNDP as well as in other Assyrian national associations.

With fraternal greetings,

4th Branch of BNDP (Eastern Europe)