|
Maliki: Referendum 2007 outcome on Kirkuk
will be respected
13.7.2006
|
|
|
|
Iraqi Government says no to an autonomous
Kirkuk
Erbil, Kurdistan-Iraq, 13 July , -- The Iraqi
government has rejected a request to create an
autonomous federal region in the area of Kirkuk, the
Kurdish oil-capital of Kurdistan (northern Iraq),
which 14 members of local political groups
representing the city's Turkoman and Arab minorities
had submitted to Baghdad's authorities at the end of
May.
The government's decision was welcomed by the
chairman of the council of Kirkuk's province, Razkar
Ali, who said it was "a right decision which suited
the Iraqi constitution." "The future of the area [of
Kirkuk] will now be decided directly by the local
population in a referendum," he added.
The Iraqi constitution enables one or more
governorates to request central authorities to award
them the status of autonomous federal regions. Such
a choice by the central authorities has subsequently
to be confirmed by the local population through a
referendum.
However, the Iraqi constitution also subordinates
the possible creation of autonomous federal regions
to the implementation of a specific law which has
not been approved yet.
The government reportedly justified its choice to
reject the joint request by members of the political
formations of Kirkuk's Turkoman and Arab minorities
with the lack of such a law implementing the
constitutional provisions on the creation of
autonomous federal regions.
"The referendum on the future status of the Kirkuk's
province will follow the 'normalisation' and the
census of the area, as established by the
constitution," Ali concluded.
Kirkuk's province, which has traditionally been
regarded as part of Kurdistan, was subject to a mass
forced-immigration of Arabs under Saddam Hussein's
regime and today there is disagreement on its future
administrative status between the three main ethnic
components of its population - Kurds, Turkomen and
Arabs.
Meanwhile Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki
yesterday said Baghdad and the autonomous Kurdish
administration in Kurdistan (northern Iraq) would
respect the 2007 referendum outcome, which will
determine the status of the oil-rich northern Iraqi
city of Kirkuk, the Dogan News Agency reported.
adnki com | turkishdailynews com.tr
Top |
Kurd Net
does not take credit for and is not responsible for the content of news
information on this page
|
® 