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BAGHDAD, - The
Shi'ite alliance that won Iraq's historic January
elections and the Kurdish coalition that came second
are deadlocked in talks on forming a government. The
following are the key disputed issues:
KIRKUK
The strategic oil-rich Kurdish city of Kirkuk, 250
km (155 miles) north of Baghdad, is claimed by
Kurds, Arabs and Turkmen. Under the rule of Saddam
Hussein, thousands of Kurds were driven out of the
city and replaced by Arabs, part of Saddam's efforts
to ensure the region was under his control. Iraqi
Kurds now want the Kurds who were driven out of the
city to be allowed to return, and for Kirkuk to be
included in the Kurdish autonomous zone in Kurdistan
(northern Iraq). But many Arabs and Turkmen are
bitterly opposed to this and say they have a
historical claim to the city. Turkey, fighting
Kurdish separatist ambitions within its borders, is
also wary of seeing Iraqi Kurds expand their
territory. Kurdish leaders say they want guarantees
on Kirkuk as part of any deal on a government -- a
demand Shi'ite leaders have not accepted.
PESHMERGA
The Kurdish peshmerga militias of the main two
Kurdish parties, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
and the Kurdistan Democratic Party, rose up against
Saddam in the 1990s and fought alongside U.S. forces
during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Shi'ite
politicians say the peshmerga should be absorbed
into Iraq's official armed forces after laws were
introduced banning ethnic or political groups from
having their own militia. But the Kurds say the
contribution of the peshmerga towards overthrowing
Saddam should be recognised and the militias should
be allowed to continue to exist.
CONSTITUTION
Shi'ite leaders say Iraq's permanent constitution,
due to be drafted this year, should reflect the
Islamic identity of most Iraqis. But most Kurds want
to ensure that Iraq's constitution is based on
secular principles. The issue held up agreement of
Iraq's temporary constitution last year, with
Islamists demanding the constitution reflect sharia
law and Kurdish and secular politicians opposing
this.
GOVERNMENT POSTS
The presidency of Iraq is expected to be given to a
Kurd in the next government, with a Shi'ite
candidate taking the prime ministership and a Sunni
Arab being named parliament speaker. But
disagreements remain over how cabinet posts will be
carved up, and how many ministries each faction will
have.
OIL REVENUE
The Kurds want their autonomous northern region
(Kurdistan) to be given a higher share of Iraq's oil
revenues, and are demanding 24 percent compared to
the current 17 percent.
Reuters
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