That this House notes that amendments to Iraq's Personal Status Law would undermine the constitutional sovereignty of law, replace a common national identity with religious jurisprudence on family law, and create a parallel legislative authority alongside Parliament through fatwas and rulings from religious endowments; further notes that new laws could lower the minimum age of marriage for females from 18 to nine, allow and even encourage marriage outside the present legal framework and without witnesses, deny alimony to the wife unless she accepts the physical desires of her husband, deny maternal rights of custody after the child reaches the age of two or after breast feeding, and remove restrictions on polygamy; supports the campaigns of the Iraqi Women’s League and others; and urges all friends of Iraq to use their influence to prevent such retrograde steps that could undermine the equality of all before the law, violate Iraq’s international obligations on women’s fundamental rights, prompt an increasingly negative international reputation, and reduce foreign assistance.

That this House notes that amendments to Iraq's Personal Status Law would undermine the constitutional sovereignty of law, replace a common national identity with religious jurisprudence on family law, and create a parallel legislative authority alongside Parliament through fatwas and rulings from religious endowments; further notes that new laws could...

That this House marks the 32nd anniversary of one of the worst incidents of mass murder by chemical weapons when the town of Halabja in the Kurdistan Region in Iraq was attacked by Saddam Hussein’s war planes on 16 March 1988; notes that the use of chemical weapons caused agonising death, often in minutes, of 5,000 men, women and children as well as injuring over 10,000 and in many cases inflicting life-long and debilitating illnesses; further notes that the attack on Halabja was accompanied by a wider campaign of genocide known as the Anfal in which about 180,000 Kurds were murdered and thousands of villages razed to the ground in an act of destruction with continuing harm to the agricultural bedrock of the Kurdistan Region; applauds the decision in February 2013 of the UK parliament to formally recognise the Anfal genocide and the decision of the UK government to mark Anfal each year; believes that remembrance is vital not only to mark the memories of those who were murdered, many of whom have yet to be unearthed from so far hidden mass graves, but also to challenge the mentality in parts of Iraq towards the equality of the Kurds; and expresses its full solidarity with the Kurds in Iraq as they seek to overcome their tragic history and forge pluralism and prosperity in a pan-Iraqi context while being key allies in the continuing fight against extremism and bigotry.

That this House marks the 32nd anniversary of one of the worst incidents of mass murder by chemical weapons when the town of Halabja in the Kurdistan Region in Iraq was attacked by Saddam Hussein’s war planes on 16 March 1988; notes that the use of chemical weapons caused agonising...

That this House applauds the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) for upholding its integrity in a delicate geopolitical position through adroit management of regional and international relations; supports its efforts to improve relations with the federal government in Baghdad through fully implementing the federal constitution; believes that Kurdistan’s quest for good relations with its neighbours while freely choosing allies facilitates vital investment, trade, and capacity-building expertise; recognises that this bolsters reforms to diversify their economy, improve public services, and boost a vibrant private sector and civil society; further believes that such reforms encourage greater accountability, transparency, and participation by youth and women; proudly notes that the KRG identifies the UK as a partner of choice and commends the UK/KRG Reform Partnership to, for instance, professionalise and unify the Peshmerga; commends the Peshmerga and the KRG for successfully maintaining internal security and stability and exemplary religious moderation, tolerance and pluralism that defies extremism, which remains potent despite major territorial losses by the so-called Islamic State; agrees with the KRG that withdrawing UK, US and other troops from Iraq would be unwise and that Iraq should not be a battlefield for others; suggests that the KRG’s position and experience enables it to better interact with relevant actors to de-escalate tensions and makes the KRG a vital interlocutor for UK foreign and security policy; and urges the UK Government at the earliest opportunity to invite the KRG leadership on an official visit to meet the Prime Minister and others and consolidate these bilateral relations.

That this House applauds the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) for upholding its integrity in a delicate geopolitical position through adroit management of regional and international relations; supports its efforts to improve relations with the federal government in Baghdad through fully implementing the federal constitution; believes that Kurdistan’s quest for good...

That this House notes with concern the mass protests in Iraq in October 2019 in response to corruption, unemployment, weak governance and unequal access to public services and the disproportionate response by Iraqi security forces to those protests, which resulted in more than 150 people being killed, thousands of people being injured and hundreds of people being detained; expresses concern about the fate of civil activist Dr Maitham Al-Helo, who was taken from his private surgery in West Baghdad by unidentified armed men and who has not been seen since; further notes with concern reports that security forces, including militia groups, fired tear gas and live rounds at demonstrators in Baghdad and several southern provinces, that some activists were savagely beaten and that a minority of demonstrators used violence; reiterates the UN’s message to the Iraqi authorities that the protestors’ demands are legitimate and that the Iraqi authorities should allow people to express their grievances in a peaceful way; urges the Iraqi Government to hold those responsible for the excessive use of force against the demonstrators and other human rights abuses to account and to address the demonstrators’ grievances, including by prioritising effective action to stamp out corruption, which has permeated Iraqi politics and society, and by re-examining the power-sharing quota system; and calls on the UK Government to support the Iraqi authorities and people to comply with the international human rights framework to help prevent instability and violence in that country.

That this House notes with concern the mass protests in Iraq in October 2019 in response to corruption, unemployment, weak governance and unequal access to public services and the disproportionate response by Iraqi security forces to those protests, which resulted in more than 150 people being killed, thousands of people...

That this House believes that Turkey's attack on northern Syria is a humanitarian disaster and Turkey should withdraw immediately and negotiate before more innocent people are killed, injured, and displaced; fears that Turkey's actions could effectively Arabise Kurdish lands in Syria forever and represent ethnic cleansing; notes that the attack presents a clear and present danger to the people, security, economy, and even existence of the neighbouring Kurdistan Region in Iraq, which sees itself as a partner of the UK and other Western countries; believes that many thousands of Syrian Kurdish civilians will seek safety in the Kurdistan Region, whose government has already prepared three refugee camps in Duhok where up to 300,000 Syrians have lived since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011; notes the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) commendable generosity towards refugees and about 1.5 million Iraqi citizens who fled to Kurdistan after the capture of Mosul in 2014, and most of whom remain in Kurdistan; further notes that this placed great strains on Kurdistani public services; urges the UK to do more to assist the KRG; believes that chaos and conflict in Syria will help revive Daesh as a danger to the KRG; and that this necessitates concerted assistance from the UK and others who should recognise that the Kurds remain vital allies in resisting Daesh fascism and for common values of democracy, tolerance, and pluralism whose defence in the Kurdistan Region needs to be a major UK priority.

That this House believes that Turkey's attack on northern Syria is a humanitarian disaster and Turkey should withdraw immediately and negotiate before more innocent people are killed, injured, and displaced; fears that Turkey's actions could effectively Arabise Kurdish lands in Syria forever and represent ethnic cleansing; notes that the attack...

That this House believes that direct flights between the UK and the Kurdistan Region in Iraq would encourage more commercial, cultural, and educational connections with Kurdistan, whose capital city has been deemed the fifth safest in the world; recognises that the Kurdistan Region is rightly proud of its security, religious tolerance and hospitality and that there is a deep esteem and affection for the UK in a place where English is the second language; further believes that direct flights would encourage the private sector in Kurdistan to develop its tourist infrastructure and that UK citizens and others using a link in London would be attracted by its cosmopolitan night-life, good hotels, restaurants of many types, the oldest city in the world, scenic natural beauty in its vast countryside with its rivers, mountains, plains and tranquillity, many archaeological sites and historical sights and buildings; welcomes the news that British Airways is considering establishing direct flights possibly in the summer of 2020; and encourages the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to revise its travel advice on travel to the Kurdistan Region.

That this House believes that direct flights between the UK and the Kurdistan Region in Iraq would encourage more commercial, cultural, and educational connections with Kurdistan, whose capital city has been deemed the fifth safest in the world; recognises that the Kurdistan Region is rightly proud of its security, religious...

That this House notes that some Iraqi Kurds have been deprived of their British passports by the Home Office on the grounds that their names and birth dates are inaccurate; further notes that this is the case for those who fled from Saddam Hussein's dictatorship and who feared, in the event of their being returned to Iraq, a prison sentence or execution; and considers that the Home Office should recognise their original and understandable caution given real threats and fears and, as it has done with others in the past, adopt a policy of regularising the status of those affected by aligning such data between their Iraqi and British documents or an equivalent solution.

That this House notes that some Iraqi Kurds have been deprived of their British passports by the Home Office on the grounds that their names and birth dates are inaccurate; further notes that this is the case for those who fled from Saddam Hussein's dictatorship and who feared, in the...

That this House warmly welcomes an initial deal between the federal Government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), as urged by the UK and others, that will allow 50-100,000 barrels per day of stranded oil in Kirkuk to be exported via the KRG pipeline to Turkey and the wider market; considers that this will restore billions of dollars of lost revenue to Iraq and that the KRG's success in expanding the capacity of its pipeline can be used to export more oil in the future; further considers that this powerfully symbolises the desire of Iraq and the KRG to normalise their relations for mutual benefit; and hopes that this prefigures a wider settlement of all outstanding issues between Baghdad and Erbil based on the full implementation of the federal constitution.

That this House warmly welcomes an initial deal between the federal Government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), as urged by the UK and others, that will allow 50-100,000 barrels per day of stranded oil in Kirkuk to be exported via the KRG pipeline to Turkey and the...