A seminar aimed at finding solutions to the violence in Iraq is expected to be held in Finland during the weekend. Meeri-Maria Jaarva of the Crisis Management Initiative organisation CMI, which is organising the event, said on Thursday afternoon Thursday that representatives of Iraq's Shiite and Sunni groups "are arriving" in Finland. Jaarva says that for security reasons, the names of the Iraqis and their political positions will not be disclosed.
The other main organiser of the seminar is the John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies of the University of Massachusetts. Some of the American organisers of the seminar have already arrived in Finland.
In addition to the Iraqis, the CMI experts, and the Massachusetts University researchers, the seminar will also include representatives from South Africa and Northern Ireland.
The aim during the weekend is to consider how the experiences of the peace processes in South Africa and Northern Ireland might be utilised for the clarification of the difficult situation in Iraq.
Jaarva says that the venue for the seminar has already been chosen, but the organisers do not want to disclose the location to the media.
