Iraq: News opposition party established.

(From BBC Monitoring International Reports)

Text of inaugural statement by newly-founded Iraqi Justice and Development Party, published by Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) newspaper Al-Ittihad on 28 December; subheadings as published

God Almighty said, "Be just, which is closer to piety." And the most honourable Prophet [Prayers and greetings of God be upon him] said: "Justice is the foundation of ruling."

Based on our belief that the next phase in the struggle would be the real fight towards a future that should not repeat the abominable past, and a phase of political opening and awareness; we, a group of patriotic Iraqis, depending on God and the might and the will of the Iraqi people, have established the Iraqi Justice and Development Party.

Since the coming phase is that of the actual construction of a devastated Iraq, which atrocious hands have ravished and usurped from its people and its nation, it will be a phase of no lesser, if not greater, fighting against atrocity and backwardness. The homeland is in need of people with all their factions, nationalities and races. Iraq is not the homeland of just one group of people. It is the home of all, and all are responsible before God, humanity and to themselves in the construction and resurgence process, so as to catch up with the human civilization march by renouncing violence, feeling of supremacy and any form of savagery, inhumanity and backwardness.

What is important to us is to have contact with the youths and the educated, with the aim of creating prospects, dialogue, interaction and intercommunication in the face of the fast-developing challenges of the world.

As we believe in the paramount importance of justice in governance and in work, we have deemed justice appropriate to be our path, our policy and our motto. Our emblem is the green Iraqi date palm, which symbolizes the first two letters of "Justice First". The whole emblem is written in green, which symbolizes giving and a new honourable life, which Iraq and its people should enjoy after all the devastation, pain and tragedies they have suffered.