IRAQ: Iraqi parliament adopts a new temporary national flag

Record ID: 737492

  • Title: IRAQ: Iraqi parliament adopts a new temporary national flag
  • Date: 23rd January 2008
  • Summary: (MER2) BAGHDAD, IRAQ (JANUARY 22, 2008) (AGENCY POOL) PARLIAMENT IN SESSION PICTURE OF CURRENT IRAQI FLAG / PARLIAMENTARIAN VOTING PARLIAMENT SPEAKER MAHMOUD AL-MASHHADANI INSTRUCTING MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT TO VOTE ON PICTURE OF SUGGESTED FLAG MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT VOTING ON THE SUGGESTED IRAQI FLAG PARLIAMENT IN SESSION PARLIAMENTARIAN IN SESSION AND VOICE OF PARLIAMENT SPEAKER MAHMOUD AL-MASHHADANI SAYING : "This is the option where the three colours in front of you are the colours of the Islamic flags under which Iraq has been ruled, and the three stars that represent unity, freedom and socialism have been removed." PARLIAMENT IN SESSION SPEAKER OF PARLIAMENT MAHMOUD AL-MASHHADANI ADDRESSING SESSION SAYING: "This flag will be flown through all of Iraq starting from today, the day the parliament approved it." PICTURE OF THE NEW APPROVED FLAG
  • Embargoed: 7th February 2008 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Iraq
  • Country: Iraq
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA612O97AJFBMB0KV31DDUCG4AC
  • Story Text: Iraq's parliament adopts a new, temporary national flag in a move long demanded by the country's Kurdish minority. But other Iraqis say the government should tend to other matters affecting the day-to-day lives of Iraqis.
    Iraq's parliament voted on Tuesday (January 22) to adopt a new, temporary national flag in a move long demanded by the country's Kurdish minority who say the Saddam Hussein-era banner is a reminder of the cruelty of his rule.
    There was rare unity among members of parliament over the emotional issue, which represents a symbolic break with the past. A previous attempt to change the flag, by the interim government in 2004, was universally rejected by Iraqis.
    The debate over a post-Saddam flag was accelerated by a planned pan-Arab meeting of lawmakers in Iraq's largely autonomous Kurdistan region on March 10. Kurdish officials had refused to fly the current flag, which is banned in Kurdistan.
    The new flag will have a limited shelf-life -- it will last for one year, during which time discussions will continue on what the final flag should look like.
    There was no serious opposition among the Shi'ite, Sunni Arab and Kurdish blocs in parliament on Monday to the proposed temporary flag -- 110 out of the 165 members present supported the change -- because it is almost identical to the old one.
    It is still red, white and black, but the three green stars in the centre representing unity, freedom and socialism, the motto of Saddam's now outlawed Baath party, have been removed.
    The phrase Allahu Akbar (God is great), added in green Arabic script on Saddam's orders during the 1991 Gulf War, remains. The script was originally in Saddam's handwriting but was changed unofficially in 2004 to Kufic, a prestigious early form of Arabic calligraphy that arose in Iraq.
    The Kurds had wanted the colour of the script changed to yellow to symbolise the Kurdish nation, but it was decided this would be too difficult to read on a white background.
    Kurdistan banned the use of the Iraqi flag on public buildings in 2006, sparking a bitter row with the Shi'ite Islamist-led government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who said the flag should be raised "over any square inch of Iraq".
    But Kurds associate the flag with Saddam's genocidal Anfal campaign against them in the late 1980s in which tens of thousands of people were bombed, shot and gassed.
    Kurdistan president Masoud Barzani wrote to the Iraqi parliament last year calling for the flag to be changed.
    However, many Iraqis opposed any change for the flag, arguing that the government should pay attention to more serious problems including the provision of basic service like electricity and fuel.
    "Why don't we leave the flag issue for now and start working on providing services to our society which has suffered a lot from (the lack) of oil, gas and fuel and other problems. This issue (the flag) is not an important hurdle (to improving life in Iraq). It has been a symbol of Iraq for long time, not from today or yesterday," said Iraqi citizen Adnan.
    Others said they were not ready to give up a symbol of Iraq.

    "We do not agree on changing the Iraqi flag because this flag represents all of us. It does not represent the minority or the majority, it does not represent the Sunnis or the Shi'ites. We are a united country and we love our flag. They (the Kurds) claimed that it is Saddam Hussein's flag and we are telling them that it is not Saddam's flag. We want this flag. It has the words 'Allahu Akbar' (God is Great) written on it. The phrase 'Allahu Akbar' glorifies God, so what could we want? Why should we change it?"
    said Iraqi citizen Amir Saadoun.
    The new flag will fly at the March 10 meeting of the Arab parliament in Arbil, capital of Kurdistan, believed to be the first major pan-Arab gathering in Iraq since the 2003 invasion.
    Notably, it is taking place in stable Kurdistan. Holding it in Baghdad would have posed a huge security risk.
    The Syria-based parliament has 88 members, four from the parliaments or advisory councils of each Arab League member. It has no binding legislative authority and can give its opinions only on matters referred to it by the Arab League council.
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