|
Only the people of Kirkuk will decide
their future: Iraqi Kurdistan president
27.10.2011 |
|
|
|
October 27, 2011
KIRKUK,
— In a historic visit to Kirkuk on Wednesday, Iraq's
Kurdistan region president Barzani told the people
of Kirkuk that only they can decide their future and
that no outside solution can be imposed on the
status of the city.
After arriving in Kirkuk, the President held a
number of meetings with various communities
including Kurds, Arabs, Turkmens and Christians, and
stressed the need for peaceful co-existence and
cooperation among the communities in this city.
“I am here today carrying a message of peaceful
|
Iraqi Kurdistan region President Massoud Barzani (L)
talks to officials and residents before a meeting in
Kirkuk, October 26, 2011. Photo: KRP |
co-existence and religious and ethnic tolerance. You
have suffered tremendously in the past. You have
suffered from “Arabization”, forced deportations and
ethnic cleansing.
We need to open a new chapter and strive to live in
peace and fraternity. No community in Kirkuk should
be marginalized. Kurds, Arabs, Turkmens, Assyrians
and Chaldeans must work hand in hand to make Kirkuk
an example of peaceful co-existence and
brotherhood,” said President Barzani about tensions
that have existed between the communities in Kirkuk.
President Barzani also pledged that the KRG will
continue to offer services and assistance to the
people of Kirkuk regardless of their ethnic or
religious background.
“The KRG will do what it can to offer assistance and
security to all the people of Kirkuk. However, what
the KRG can do for you is limited as it is using
resources allocated for the Kurdistan Region. This
state of affairs is untenable and we believe the
best solution is the implementation of Artilce-140
of the Iraqi Constitution."
“We have no doubt about the identity of Kirkuk and
the implementation of Article-140 does not equate to
the joining of Kirkuk to the Kurdistan Region, as
some people falsely claim. Nor will this make Kirkuk
any less of an Iraqi city. It merely provides the
opportunity for the people of Kirkuk to decide their
future. We will continue to do what we can to
support the people of Kirkuk,www.ekurd.net
whether the people of Kirkuk decide to join the
Kurdistan Region or not,” said the President, adding
that any attempts to impose outside agendas on the
future of Kirkuk are unacceptable.
.Article-140 of the Iraqi Constitution defines a
roadmap for the resolution of the status of Kirkuk
and other disputed areas in three phases of
normalization, census and referendum.
During today’s meetings, representatives of Kurds,
Arabs, Turkmens, Assyrians and Chaldeans all praised
a recent decision by the KRG and President Barzani
to supply electricity to Kirkuk. The KRG now
supplies 200 Mega Watts of electricity to Kirkuk
which has significantly increased the number of
hours per day of power availability.
Copyright ©, respective
author or news agency,
krp.org
Top |
Kurd Net
does not take credit for and is not responsible for the
content of news information on this page
|
®
