In the last ten years we have seen real change in Kurdistan’s political landscape and systems. It only took six months of freedom for Kurdistan and its people to hold their first elections. The fact that as a fledgling federal state Kurdistan moved so quickly towards democracy and free expression was an extraordinary achievement. There have of course been setbacks. With the close result in 1992 and the difficult coalition Government created between the two main parties, the PUK and KDP, Kurdistan’s democratic beginning was a problematic one. Sadly with the breakdown of this coalition civil war broke out in 1994, the result of this was a form of two state solution. This was a very testing situation for the Kurdistan region as it was never going to be in the best interests of the Kurdish people to be divided in such an integral time in their history. Although civil wars historically do seem to be the prerequisite to many eventual settlements and we need to bear that in mind when we come to analyse the current situation across the Middle East. The setback was overcome and in the years prior to the 2005 elections both sides cooperated to ensure that the elections were fair and free for the people of Kurdistan. The compromises and decisions made by the PUK and the KDP are a great example of how Kurdistan has maturely overcome the difficulties and inconveniences of democracy that it has faced. The formation of a Coalition in 2004, before the election itself, between these two parties who only a decade earlier had been at war, was a remarkable achievement. In recent years further strides have been made in the political sphere that has allowed the people of the region to be one of the most represented in the Middle East. In Erbil a thriving Political infrastructure has been created, coordinating power and helping the democratic process change and develop as needed over the past decade. There are now a number of opposition parties and in the latest elections we did see Opposition parties gain significant representation. The Change List and Reform List with 25 and 13 seats respectively, minority Turkmen have five seats and the Christian community are represented with four seats. Although it still must be said that the Government is in a uniquely strong position. The Elections are independently verified as free and fair and over 75% of citizens turned out to vote. The move to give the people the vote to decide the Presidential elections was another positive step forward for Kurdish Democracy. President Barzani was elected with 70% of the popular vote. The Parliament in Kurdistan has developed and grown stronger but there is still a long way to go. There are always specific areas that are incredibly challenging for any new Democracy, such as the battle against corruption and ensuring political participation for all sections of society. The KRG must address these issues. The Government has pledged to deliver further reforms to fight corruption and enhance transparency. These are positive steps forwards, but as always the devil is in the detail and implementation will be challenging. Another key area where change has been promised is in ensuring that Women have a greater ability to participate in Political life. They have set out a policy to encourage civil society and the media to play a greater and more constructive role in promoting public opinion and expand democracy. These are positive steps but all of these institutions are embryonic and will need support. In conclusion I wish to make reference to the changes that we have seen in the Middle East in the last 12 months. I believe it has been a great thing to see the people of the region rising up against oppressive regimes. However I do also have a note of caution to add. If you look around the region the warning sign is that it is mainly the parties of God that are succeeding. The reasons for this lay in the dictatorships that ruled previously who quashed any forum of political debate other than within the Mosque or Husainia. We see this in the 1979 revolution in Iran that delivered a theocracy, the rise of Hamas in Palestine, the Muslim brotherhood in Egypt and so on. The problem with this is that their manifestos are the word of god and therefore very difficult for anyone to attempt to argue with. Some cynically use democracy to thwart democracy as their religious intolerance doesn’t allow for secular parties to flourish. The Kurds, because of their history and ethnic identity have been lucky. It has meant that the dominant Parties there are secular. They have created the institutions and infrastructure for democracy to prosper. They can of course develop institutions further, for example the way in which the executive is scrutinized by Parliament and the way in which the opposition parties operate. Another is to build new institutions. The media must be independent and responsible. There must also be a fully independent Judiciary so that people feel that they would be treated fairly and equally when interacting with Government. But it cannot be denied that Kurdistan has made a fantastic start and the free and fair elections now established are not only an important safety valve but also a vital stepping stone on its forward path.