The Helsinki Principles : Framing the Debate in Iraq

Profressor Padraig O’Malley
John Joseph Moakley Chair, UMASS Boston Peace & Reconciliation Program

Tuesday, September 23, 2008   |   John F. Kennedy Library   |   6:00 p.m.    • Directions >

The UMASS Peace & Reconciliation Program will be a beneficiary of the
2008 AIF Boston Gala on November 6th, 2008

Led by John Joseph Moakley Chair Padraig O’Malley, the Peace and Reconciliation Program provides teachings, forums and gatherings that promote peace and democracy in countries throughout the world. The John Joseph Moakley Chair for Peace and Reconciliation was established in memory of the late Massachusetts congressman from South Boston. Moakley was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1973 and served until his death in 2001. In addition to serving as chairman of the powerful House Rules Committee, Moakley’s investigation of the murder of six Jesuits in El Salvador opened the way to a peaceful settlement between the rebels and the Salvadoran government.

O’Malley’s direct experience in the Northern Ireland peace negotiations and in bringing together disparate factions in South Africa beginning with a trip organized ten years ago by the Ireland Funds, is now being brought to bear on the trouble spot of Iraq.

Together with Martin McGuinness, a former IRA commander who today serves as the leading member in the National Assembly and as a government minister, and Jeffrey Donaldson, a leader in the Democratic Unionist Party, O’Malley organized a set of secret talks in September of 2007 in Helsinki with representatives from Iraq’s warring factions.  In April ’08, McGuinness, Donaldson and Mac Maharaj, who for four decades was the head of the African National Congress underground during South Africa’s struggle for freedom, joined O’Malley and 36 Iraqi delegates for continued peace talks.  O’Malley has led these talks using the 17 guiding principles known as the Mitchell Principles crafted by tonight’s honoree, Senator George Mitchell.

As The Boston Globe reported, the participants agreed upon all but three broad principles which O’Malley hopes the Iraqi parliament will eventually endorse.  The talks are aimed at leading to a detailed agreement on core issues plaguing Iraq, including disarming militias associated with political parties, protecting the rights of minorities, and reducing corruption in government.  The agreement also includes a pledge to integrate the so-called Awakening Councils, and others who have fought against extremists, into state organizations.
 
While progress on such complicated issues is often slow, O’Malley and his team have made extraordinary strides in a short time period including succeeding in coalescing politicians from Sunni, Shiite, Kurdish, Turkmen, Communist and other parties.

A new round of talks is currently being negotiated with the potential for the next meeting to take place in Ireland.

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Sponsored by the McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies, University of Massachusetts Boston; the Institute for Global Leadership at Tufts University; and the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation