International

This Saturday saw the SP's Party Council meet for the first time since the elections of 22nd November. The Party Council, which gathered in Utrecht, is the SP's ruling body, subordinate only to national congress. Every branch is represented, and most MPs and MEPs attend as guests, while the party's senior paid staff are there to discuss matters with the Council's members. Most of the discussion centred around the campaign, but delegates also had the pleasure of hearing a short speech from Faisal Nasser, an SP member of Iraqi origin. Once a refugee from his own country, he is now heavily involved in its reconstruction. He presented the SP with a token of gratitude in the form of a beautifully decorated dish, a gift from Tammuz, an Iraqi organisation dedicated to bringing peace, democracy and independence to the war-torn, occupied country.

“You know all about how a party earns credibility and wins justice," Mr Nasser said. "These things don't fall out of the sky. They come from having the right standpoints, based on a sound analysis. The SP was – we all were – against the war in Iraq. We all warned against the dangerous consequences that a war would bring in its wake. And now the country stands on the brink of disaster.

“Ten thousand Iraqis have been murdered, more than one-and-a-half million citizens have fled abroad and as many have taken flight within Iraq. Half of the population is unemployed. The ordinary citizen is caught between the fire of terror and sectarian violence on the one side and the abusive behaviour and violence of the occupiers on the other side.

“The occupiers' mistakes have created space for the sectarian militias. The violence which is coupled with the confrontation between two militias suits the goal of the terrorists and followers of Saddam by hindering the political process.

“In this difficult situation democratic movements must try to exert their influence. Tammuz is one of the organisations which is committed to peace and democracy, to human rights and independence. At its last conference, on December 1st, Tammuz said that it wanted to show its gratitude to the SP for its support. As a symbol and recognition of this gratitude Tammuz would like to offer this porcelain dish, decorated with the organisation's logo, which is a symbol denoting cooperation for peace, democracy and human rights.”