MEETING: President Barzani Meets Women Peace Activists

Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani today met with a group of women peace activists to discuss issues facing the Kurdish people and society.

The women's group, who call themselves Women for Peace, come from all parts of Kurdistan in Iraq, Turkey, Iran and Syria, and held their first conference in Diyarbakir, Turkey, last April. They plan to hold a second, broader conference in Erbil early next year with the aim of establishing a Kurdish women's movement to work for Kurdish rights through peaceful means.

In today's meeting with the group, which included Layla Zana, the well-known Kurdish political activist from Diyarbakir, President Barzani commended the group for their efforts and said they have his full support, urging them to meet all parties in Kurdistan and to convey their message of peace.

“Women have always played a big role in our struggle, and I wholeheartedly support your work. I agree with your slogan that our message should be one of peace and democracy,” said the President, adding that both history and experience have time and again demonstrated that only the pursuit of peaceful means is the way forward.