Friday, June 01, 2007
Maliki in Kurdistan for talks on constitution, Kirkuk
Politics
(Voices of Iraq) - Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki arrived on Thursday afternoon in Arbil on several days visit to the Kurdistan region, a source from the Kurdistan government said. "Maliki came for consultation with Kurdish officials on many issues, including the Iraqi constitution’s revision, the political situation and relations between the central government and the Kurdistan region’s administration," Dr. Fuad Hussein, head of the Kurdistan presidency office, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
Prime Minister al-Maliki, who was received at Arbil airport by Iraqi Kurdistan’s President Massoud al-Barazani, is expected to discuss the Kirkuk issue with Kurdish leadership, Hussein added. On Tuesday, Kurdistan Premier Negervan Barazani ended several days' visit to Baghdad to discuss with the central government issues to do with oil-rich Kirkuk city’s status according to Article 140 of the constitution, relations between Baghdad's government and the Kurdistan administration, the status of the Peshmerga (Kurdish local fighters) and the draft oil and gas law.
Kurds want to accelerate the implementation of constitutional article 140, concerning normalizing the situation in Kirkuk city, as it was before the 1970s, when the former regime, Kurds claim, lured Arabs to settle in Kirkuk and drove Kurdish families out of the city.
The step should be followed by a referendum in the city to decide whether or not to join the three other Kurdish provinces in the Kurdistan region by the end of 2007. Non-Kurdish Iraqi political forces are inclined to put off the issue until better security prevails in the country.
Also, the draft oil and gas law, now under debate by lawmakers in Baghdad, represents another deadlock between Arbil and Baghdad. Kurdish leaders are pressing for more power in relation to oil investment inside the region, while Baghdad has opted to control all investment contracts in the country.
Prime Minister al-Maliki, who was received at Arbil airport by Iraqi Kurdistan’s President Massoud al-Barazani, is expected to discuss the Kirkuk issue with Kurdish leadership, Hussein added. On Tuesday, Kurdistan Premier Negervan Barazani ended several days' visit to Baghdad to discuss with the central government issues to do with oil-rich Kirkuk city’s status according to Article 140 of the constitution, relations between Baghdad's government and the Kurdistan administration, the status of the Peshmerga (Kurdish local fighters) and the draft oil and gas law.
Kurds want to accelerate the implementation of constitutional article 140, concerning normalizing the situation in Kirkuk city, as it was before the 1970s, when the former regime, Kurds claim, lured Arabs to settle in Kirkuk and drove Kurdish families out of the city.
The step should be followed by a referendum in the city to decide whether or not to join the three other Kurdish provinces in the Kurdistan region by the end of 2007. Non-Kurdish Iraqi political forces are inclined to put off the issue until better security prevails in the country.
Also, the draft oil and gas law, now under debate by lawmakers in Baghdad, represents another deadlock between Arbil and Baghdad. Kurdish leaders are pressing for more power in relation to oil investment inside the region, while Baghdad has opted to control all investment contracts in the country.
Labels: Arbil, Article 140, Iraqi constitution, Kirkuk, Massoud Barzani, Nouri Al-Maliki
