Original text of motion submitted by North East Derbyshire CLP to Labour
Party Conference. The motion was composited and then remitted in favour
of a statement from the National Executive Committee, which included all
the main points of this motion, which was also the subject of a speech
by Harry Barnes, MP for North East Derbyshire and Joint President of
LFIQ.
Conference notes the establishment on 15th August of an interim National
Assembly which reflects the diversity of Iraqi society and the aim of
holding direct democratic elections, by December 2004/January 2005, to a
Transitional National Assembly, which will have responsibility for
forming a Transitional Government of Iraq and drafting a permanent
constitution for Iraq leading to a constitutionally elected government
by the end of 2005.
Conference acknowledges that those who honourably supported and those
who honourably opposed military action in Iraq have united in support of
the efforts of the emerging civil society in Iraq, including various
parties, women’s groups and the new, secular and independent Iraqi
Federation of Trade Unions (IFTU) which strongly supports the process
endorsed by United Nations Security Council for a federal, democratic,
pluralist, and unified Iraq, in which there is full respect for
political and human rights.
Conference supports the TUC’s appeal to raise funds to help rebuild the
Iraqi trade union movement and its battle for workers’ rights and
against privatisation.
Conference encourages all party branches and members to support this
appeal and the work of these grassroots Iraqi civil society
organisations.
Conference urges the Department for International Development and the
Foreign and Commonwealth Office to continue and expand their support for
Iraqi non-governmental organisations.