Posted on 04/15/2003 6:01:33 PM PDT by HAL9000
TALLIL AIRBASE, Iraq (Reuters) - First talks on the future of Iraq were attended on Tuesday by Iraqi political and religious leaders, as well as U.S. and British officials.
A report published on the Web site of the U.S. Central Command war headquarters in Qatar said a 13-point statement had been released at the end of the meeting.
It was not immediately clear whether the meeting had formally adopted the statement, which follows:
1. Iraq must be democratic.
2. The future government of Iraq should not be based on communal identity.
3. A future government should be organized as a democratic federal system, but on the basis of countrywide consultation.
4. The rule of law must be paramount.
5. That Iraq must be built on respect for diversity including respect for the role of women.
6. The meeting discusses the role of religion in state and society.
7. The meeting discussed the principle that Iraqis must choose their leaders, not have them imposed from outside.
8. That political violence must be rejected, and that Iraqis must immediately organize themselves for the task of reconstruction at both the local and national levels.
9. That Iraqis and the coalition must work together to tackle the immediate issues of restoring security and basic services.
10. That the Baath party must be dissolved and its effects on society must be eliminated.
11. That there should be an open dialogue with all national political groups to bring them into the process.
12. That the meeting condemns the looting that has taken place and the destruction of documents.
13. The Iraqi participation in the Nassiriya meeting voted that there should be another meeting in 10 days in a location to be determined with additional Iraqi participants and to discuss procedures for developing an Iraqi interim authority.
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