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Iraqi lawmakers visit Hiroshima, take part in discussion on path toward peace

by Michiko Tanaka, Staff Writer

Members of the Iraqi national assembly took part in a discussion on peace on February 20 in Hiroshima. The meeting was organized by the Japan International Cooperation Agency and held at the International Conference Center Hiroshima. Researchers from Hiroshima joined the discussion on ways to build peace.

Six Iraqi lawmakers, including one female lawmaker, and the Iraqi Ambassador to Japan participated in the event, reporting on current conditions in Iraq. Abudulrahman Hasan Khalid Alkhaled said that, with the rise of armed insurgents including the radical Islamist group “Islamic State,” more and more people are being displaced and he called for humanitarian assistance. Others urged the international community to stand united in measures that include cutting off sources of funding for terrorist groups.

The Hiroshima researchers asked the Iraqis about health problems caused by the use of depleted uranium shells during the Iraq War. Having toured Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum before the discussion session, the Iraqi parliament members said they felt empathy for the suffering of the Hiroshima people and that Hiroshima’s recovery gave them hope for the reconstruction of Iraq.

The group of lawmakers arrived in Japan on February 15 and met with their Japanese counterparts in Tokyo. They will leave Japan for Iraq on February 21.

(Originally published on February 23, 2015)

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