ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Kirkuk’s Provincial Council will remain in place until the next elections are held, Iraqi President Fuad Masum said during a visit to Kirkuk city on Monday. Security will be the responsibility of police and counter-terrorism forces, he added.
“The Kirkuk Provincial Council will remain as it is until elections are held," Masum said during a joint press conference at the governorate's building with Rakan al-Jabouri, acting Kirkuk governor.
The council "must convene and elect a governor for the province and decide on other questions as well,” he said.
The beleaguered council has not convened since the Kirkuk crisis when Iraqi and Shiite forces took control of the province in mid-October and members of some Kurdish parties fled the city. The first scheduled meeting was postponed last week due to a disagreement over the location.
Kirkuk fell to Baghdad on October 16 after Peshmerga forces pulled out in the face of a major assault.
Kirkuk’s Kurdish governor, Najmaldin Karim, ordered out of his post by a court order in September, was replaced by Arab Rakan al-Jabouri, nominated by the prime minister, when the province came under federal control.
“I hope October 16 will leave no influence on the co-existence between the components of Kirkuk and the province and they all live as brothers," Masum said.
Describing the ethnically diverse province as a "mini picture of Iraq," Masum said, "No group in Kirkuk is above the other or has more right than the other."
Oil-rich Kirkuk is a flashpoint between Erbil and Baghdad, who both claim proprietorship in the province. It is one of the disputed areas and as such falls under Article 140 of the constitution. Masum confirmed that is still the case and the constitutional provision “will remain as it is until it is implemented.”
Article 140 addresses the issue of the disputed areas claimed by both the regional and central governments. Under it, a census and referendum should have been held by 2007. That has never occurred.
Masum last week decided to form a committee to investigate constitutional violations. Explaining the mandate of the committee, Masum told reporters in Sulaimani on Monday that the committee will review all the articles of the constitution as some violations have occurred.
“We, from the presidential office, have formed a committee consisting of major advisors and parties from the state tasked with observing any violations being done to the constitution or the ignoring of any constitutional articles."
The Iraqi Turkmen Front issued a statement earlier in the day rejecting Masum’s bid to bring parties in Kirkuk closer, saying he, a Kurd, was politically motivated.
Saying that the city had seen 14 years of demographic changes in Kirkuk, “not different from that of Saddam’s Baathist party,” it accused Masum of taking advantage of increased Kurdish influence in order to cement control over the city.
The Turkmen party also accused Kurdish parties in Kirkuk of “killings, terrorism, and kidnapping the people of Kirkuk.”
They urged Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to form an operation room tasked with meetings between relevant leaders to resolve Kirkuk’s situation and start “constructive dialogue.”
Security in Kirkuk city is currently the responsibility of police and counter-terror forces, Masum said.
In Tuz Khurmatu, also taken over by Iraqi forces and where the Hashd al-Shaabi now have a significant presence, there have been confirmed reports of looting, arson, killings, and ethnically-motivated attacks.
Responding to recent reports that Iraqi presidential guards, who are Kurds, would be deployed to Tuz Khurmatu, Masum said "due to some circumstances, this question has been delayed."
Masum was on a tour in the Kurdistan Region this weekend, trying to rebuild relations between Erbil and Baghdad.
Updated at 8:36 pm
“The Kirkuk Provincial Council will remain as it is until elections are held," Masum said during a joint press conference at the governorate's building with Rakan al-Jabouri, acting Kirkuk governor.
The council "must convene and elect a governor for the province and decide on other questions as well,” he said.
The beleaguered council has not convened since the Kirkuk crisis when Iraqi and Shiite forces took control of the province in mid-October and members of some Kurdish parties fled the city. The first scheduled meeting was postponed last week due to a disagreement over the location.
Kirkuk fell to Baghdad on October 16 after Peshmerga forces pulled out in the face of a major assault.
Kirkuk’s Kurdish governor, Najmaldin Karim, ordered out of his post by a court order in September, was replaced by Arab Rakan al-Jabouri, nominated by the prime minister, when the province came under federal control.
“I hope October 16 will leave no influence on the co-existence between the components of Kirkuk and the province and they all live as brothers," Masum said.
Describing the ethnically diverse province as a "mini picture of Iraq," Masum said, "No group in Kirkuk is above the other or has more right than the other."
Oil-rich Kirkuk is a flashpoint between Erbil and Baghdad, who both claim proprietorship in the province. It is one of the disputed areas and as such falls under Article 140 of the constitution. Masum confirmed that is still the case and the constitutional provision “will remain as it is until it is implemented.”
Article 140 addresses the issue of the disputed areas claimed by both the regional and central governments. Under it, a census and referendum should have been held by 2007. That has never occurred.
Masum last week decided to form a committee to investigate constitutional violations. Explaining the mandate of the committee, Masum told reporters in Sulaimani on Monday that the committee will review all the articles of the constitution as some violations have occurred.
“We, from the presidential office, have formed a committee consisting of major advisors and parties from the state tasked with observing any violations being done to the constitution or the ignoring of any constitutional articles."
The Iraqi Turkmen Front issued a statement earlier in the day rejecting Masum’s bid to bring parties in Kirkuk closer, saying he, a Kurd, was politically motivated.
Saying that the city had seen 14 years of demographic changes in Kirkuk, “not different from that of Saddam’s Baathist party,” it accused Masum of taking advantage of increased Kurdish influence in order to cement control over the city.
The Turkmen party also accused Kurdish parties in Kirkuk of “killings, terrorism, and kidnapping the people of Kirkuk.”
They urged Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to form an operation room tasked with meetings between relevant leaders to resolve Kirkuk’s situation and start “constructive dialogue.”
Security in Kirkuk city is currently the responsibility of police and counter-terror forces, Masum said.
In Tuz Khurmatu, also taken over by Iraqi forces and where the Hashd al-Shaabi now have a significant presence, there have been confirmed reports of looting, arson, killings, and ethnically-motivated attacks.
Responding to recent reports that Iraqi presidential guards, who are Kurds, would be deployed to Tuz Khurmatu, Masum said "due to some circumstances, this question has been delayed."
Masum was on a tour in the Kurdistan Region this weekend, trying to rebuild relations between Erbil and Baghdad.
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