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KurdistanObserver.com
Kurdish Official Says Kirkuk Normalization
To Proceed
June 22, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- Fu'ad Husayn, director of the presidential office for
the Kurdistan regional government (KRG) told RFE/RL Iraq analyst Kathleen
Ridolfo that the Kurds are confident Kirkuk will be integrated into the
Kurdistan regional government. Husayn said on June 21 that he expects
implementation of Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution on the normalization of
Kirkuk to proceed on schedule.
RFE/RL: Kurdistan regional President Mas'ud
Barzani was cited in the media this week as saying there is a possibility that
the Kurds would accept a delay in the implementation of Article 140.
Fu'ad Husayn: No, he didn't say that. Actually, the media misinterpreted what he
said. President Barzani said "We will never delay; we will never accept any
delay in the implementation of Article 140." He said we will not accept any
change in that article and we will not accept any delay.
[Barzani] said it is up to the [Kurdish regional parliamentary] committee on
Article 140 [to decide] when they are going to implement the whole article. And
if the committee says from a technical point of view we need a few months, then
[the KRG] will discuss that. But, it will never be a political decision and it
will never be a legal change [to the constitution]. So, [Barzani] made it clear.
He will not accept a delay. He will not accept any change in the schedule of
implementation of Article 140.
"We will not accept changing Article 140, because changing it means deleting it.
Article 140 has to do with a time limit, and those who are talking about
delaying it, in fact they are talking about deleting it. So, we will never
accept that."
RFE/RL: Where does the schedule stand now?
Husayn: Of course, that's up to the committee on Article 140, but they have a
time limit. And that time limit is the end of this year. But Article 140 has to
do with various stages. One stage -- normalization -- which means resettling the
Arabs brought to Kirkuk by Saddam Hussein to their original areas and returning
the Kurds displaced from Kirkuk back to Kirkuk -- the committee on Article 140
has taken various decisions as far as this stage, and they are implementing it.
The second stage has to do with census -- and actually census doesn't mean to
have information about everything -- but it means to know who is originally from
the area, and who can vote. And that's easy to know because [since] 2003, we had
various elections, so it is easy to go back to the [voter] registries and know
who is [originally] from the area and who can vote. And from there, [we move] to
the last stage which is a referendum [on whether to join the Kurdistan region or
remain outside it].
RFE/RL: It was reported in the media that 100 billion dinars (nearly $80
million) was allocated to implement the first phase of Article 140. Where is
this money going, and is it being spent?
Husayn: As far as the budget for the committee, it has been allocated to the
committee. Part of that budget will be given to the Arabs [settled in Kirkuk by
Saddam Hussein] so that they can go back and start their life in their original
city. And part of [the budget] has to do with the work of the committee itself.
So, the Iraqi government has already allocated an amount for the work of the
committee and to help the Arabs go back.
RFE/RL: It is possible to move forward with implementation of Article 140 given
the security situation in Kirkuk?
Husayn: Yes, yes. I think those people who are active now -- the terrorists and
the supporters of the Ba'ath regime -- they are trying with their actions to
delay Article 140. Their target is either to delete Article 140 or to delay it,
delay the implementation. When the implementation will start -- and it started
already -- it will help the population of the area to feel sure about their
future. And we think that will reduce terrorist attacks.
Actually, there are people who think that implementation of Article 140 will
lead to a civil war. We think the other way around, because at the end, those
small groups that are now attacking the Kurds and attacking other government
officials in Kirkuk, they are people who are against Article 140. They are
people who were against the constitution. They are people who are against the
new situation in Iraq.
So when the stage of implementation will begin, I think they will feel they are
the losers. And the original people of Kirkuk, they will feel they are more
secure, and [that] they will have a future.
RFE/RL: What will happen if some Arab families refuse to be repatriated to their
original towns? Will they be allowed to stay in Kirkuk?
Husayn: According to my information, thousands of Arabs have already registered
to go back to their original [towns]. So the Arabs who were brought by Saddam
Hussein, they are ready to go back.
The original Arabs [from Kirkuk] -- of course we have Arabs who have been there
for a long time -- of course they can stay and they will be part of the society,
part of the community. But those who have been brought [by Saddam Hussein],
their registration will be [transferred] to their original [town] and then they
will leave Kirkuk.
RFE/RL: There was a proposal by some Arabs and Turkomans to have Kirkuk
designated as a "special status" region where Kurds, Turkomans, and Arabs share
power. What has been the KRG's response to this proposal?
Husayn: We are committed to Article 140 and the constitution. Article 140 says
that at the end, the referendum will decide [Kirkuk's status]. By the way, it's
not just about Kirkuk, it's the whole area -- Sinjar, Khanaqin, and many other
Kurdish [populated] towns. So, it is up to the population of these areas to
decide, and not [up] to a small group or a political party to decide. When a
referendum is held, and when people vote, then we will know in which direction
Kirkuk will go. It's not up to some people especially small political parties
from the Arab side or the Turkoman side to decide.
A girl in Kirkuk who was wounded by an insurgent bomb in April (epa)By the way,
there are many Turkomans who are ready to be part of this process, and they are
supporting the implementation of Article 140. And there are other Arabs, even
the original Arabs who say it will be better to be part of a secure area than to
be part of a non-secure area -- meaning to be part of Kurdistan [region].
RFE/RL: What will the Kurdish reaction be if Baghdad fails to implement Article
140?
Husayn: We have the feeling that the Iraqi government is cooperating at this
stage, and they are supporting the committee that has been formed in Baghdad --
committee on [Article] 140.
By the way, the majority of the members of the committee are ministers in the
Iraqi government. The prime minister [Nuri al-Maliki] declared many times, "It
is my duty to implement the constitution and 140 is part of the constitution."
RFE/RL: There is a committee in the Baghdad parliament that is working on
amending some articles in the constitution, including Article 140.
Husayn: Yes, there is a committee that deals with a proposal of changing the
article – changing the constitution. But changing the constitution must be
within the mechanism of the constitution itself. As far as the Kurdish [bloc's
position], we will not accept changing Article 140, because changing it means
deleting it. Article 140 has to do with a time limit, and those who are talking
about delaying it, in fact they are talking about deleting it. So, we will never
accept that.
RFE/RL: Some people are blaming external forces for influencing the situation in
Kirkuk...
Husayn: Kirkuk is part of Iraq -- as Irbil and other cities. It is part of Iraq.
So, even if Kirkuk will be part of Kurdistan [region], we will stay part of
Iraq. It is not up to foreign powers to decide the future of Kirkuk. It is up to
the population of Kirkuk to decide the future of their city, and it is up to the
Iraqi Constitution, which was voted on by 80 percent of the population of Iraq,
including Article 140. So this is in an internal affair and has nothing to do
with other [neighboring] countries. |
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