On March 6, 2017, seven Assyrian political parties and organizations signed a joint list with ethnical and national demands of the Assyrians from Bagdad and Arbil. Later on the number of organizations increased to eleven. But the different Assyrian churches have still not joined the list. The main demand from Bagdad is to implement the decision of the government in January 2014 to create a province of the Nineveh Plains. A letter is also sent to the UN (UNAMI) to help the being province of the Nineveh Plains with observers.
At the same day, i.e March 6, a coalition of abroad living Assyrian, Yezidi and Turkomen asked for a new region consisted of three new provinces; Nineveh Plains, Shingal and Telafar. The Assyrian initiator is American Mesopotamian Organization. But some of the representatives of the three minority groups, among them Mr. Yonadam Kanna, denounced the formation of a region, accusing the initiators for being unknown outsiders, according to an interview in al-Quds al-Arabi on March 8.
However, Dr. Srood Maqdasy from “Bnay Nahren” political group, is not denouncing the idea of a new region as long as it benefits the inhabitants of the Nineveh Plains. He says that Assyrians abroad and those in Assyria need to coordinate their efforts to safeguard the Assyrians national and ethnic rights in such a critical time. He hopes that the political parties in Iraq will soon start a dialogue with the Diaspora Assyrians in order to prevent further atrocities against the Assyrians. He urges Assyrian Diaspora organizations to put pressure on their governments for this purpose.
He also comments the ongoing reunion of Bnay Nahren with Zawaa by the initiative of the Assyrian author Aprim Shapira from London.