Iraqi Opposition Leaders to Meet at American University Conference, June 8

6/3/2002

From: Kathryn Schroeder, 202-885-5935 or Todd Sedmak, 202-885-5951

News Advisory:

Iraqi opposition leaders from the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), the Iraqi National Congress (INC), the Iraqi National Accord (INA), the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), the Constitutional Monarchy Movement and the Iraqi National Movement (INM) will participate in the conference, "Iraq's Kurds: A Key to Stability in Iraq" on Saturday, June 8 at American University's Washington College of Law in Room 603 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The conference, which involves senior figures from the major Iraqi opposition groups, is hosted by American University's Center for Global Peace and the Mustafa Barzani Scholar of Global Kurdish Studies. It is very rare to have these opposition leaders together at the same conference. Noted Iraqi intellectuals also will be participating, including Saad Al Bazzaz, Ghassan Atiyyah, Laith Kubba and Kamran Karadaghi. General Fawzi Al-Shamari and Brig. Gen. Najib Salhi will provide commentary in conjunction with Panel III.

The conference schedule is:

9 a.m. Welcome -- Abdul Aziz Said, director, AU Center for Global Peace -- Carole A. O'Leary, scholar in residence, AU Center for Global Peace

9:15 a.m.-10:45 a.m. Panel I: Regional Perspectives, Chair: Shafeeq Ghabra, Kuwait Information Office and Kuwait University; -- Waheed Hashem, Kind Abdul Aziz University; -- Ozdem Sanberk, Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation; -- Nasser Hadian, Tehran University; -- Discussant: Saad Al Bazzaz, Azzaman.

11:15 a.m.-12:45 p.m. Panel II: U.S. and European Perspectives, Chair: David Mack, The Middle East Institute; -- Kent Degerfelt, European Commission; -- Peter Galbraith, National Defense University; -- Alan Makovsky, House International Relations Committee; -- Ernest Tucker, US Naval Academy.

2 p.m.-2:30 p.m. Keynote Address: "The Arab Experience in Federal State-Formation: Shaikh Zayid bin Sultan and the Establishment of the United Arab Emirates" John Duke Anthony, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations

2:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. Panel III: Iraqi Perspectives, Chair: Laith Kubba, National Endowment for Democracy; -- Hamid Al Bayati, Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq; -- HH Sharif Ali bin Al-Hussein, Constitutional Monarchy Movement of Iraq; -- Salah Al-Shaikhly, Iraqi National Accord; -- Mohammad Sabir, Patriotic Union of Kurdistan; -- Mudhar Shawkat and Hatem Mukhlis, Iraqi National Movement; -- Hoshyar Zebari, Kurdistan Democratic Party.

4:45 p.m.-6:45 p.m. Panel IV: Media Perspectives, Chair: Kamran Karadaghi, Radio Free Iraq, RFERL; -- Ghassan Atiyyah, Iraqi File; -- Ilnur Cevik, Turkish Daily News; -- Nasser Hadian, Tehran University; -- Adel Darwish, Daily Mail; -- Jeffrey Goldberg, The New Yorker; -- Jamal Khashoggi, Arab News.

7 p.m. Concluding Remarks -- Edmund Ghareeb, Mustafa Barzani Distinguished Scholar of Global Kurdish Studies, American University

7:15 p.m. Dinner

8:15 p.m. Keynote Speech (To Be Announced)

Closing Remarks Nechirvan Barzani, Prime Minister, KurdistanRegional Government, Erbil

American University's Center for Global Peace, founded in 1996, provides a framework for programs and initiatives that advance the study and understanding of world peace. The center fosters a sustainable world order grounded in justice and inclusivity and focuses on four pillars: the human environment, the cultural environment, the economic and political environment, and the natural environment.

The Mustafa Barzani Scholar of Global Kurdish Studies was established in 1999 in memory of Mulla Mustafa Barzani (1903-1979), a visionary leader in the struggle for Kurdish rights and identity. Housed within the Center for Global Peace, the scholar provides a forum for the cultivation of constructive dialogue on reconciliation and coexistence which highlights contemporary transnational issues and emphasizes cooperative, nonviolent approaches toward regional security and conflict resolution in Kurdistan. Three core topical areas will guide the research, course development, and program activities of the scholar: Kurdish history and culture in local, regional, and global context; reconciliation among Kurdish groups and factions; and coexistence between the Kurds and the peoples and states of the Middle East.

Located in Washington, D.C., American University is a leader in global education, enrolling a diverse student body from throughout the United States and more than 160 countries and providing opportunities for academic excellence, public service, and internships in the nation's capital and around the world.

For media assistance, contact Kathryn Schroeder or Todd Sedmak in AU's Media Relations Office at 202-885-5950.