Kurds Send 19 Conditions To Allawi and Maliki

Kurdish President Masoud Barzani (R) greets Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki (L) during his visit to Erbil. August 8, 2010. Photo by Reuters.

Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan: As a pre-government formation condition, the Kurdistani Alliance made up of all of the Kurdish parties has sent 19 demands to each of Iyad Allawi, leader of Iraqiya movement, the first election winner and Maliki's State of Law coalition, the narrowly second vote-getter.

The key demands include emphasis on the implementation of Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution in two years' time, approving of a Kurd as president of Iraq, calls for commitment to the constitution.

None of the two winning coalitions has formally approved of the demands yet. 

Iraq held elections in March 2010. Since then more than five months have passed and Iraqi politicians still remain deadlocked to form a new government.

Here bellow is a copy of the Kurdish demands, Rudaw translated them into English for its readers.

1. Commitment to the constitution and all of its terms, as well as preserving a federal system of democracy.

2. The formation of an inclusive national government that includes all key Iraqi groups.

3. Adherence to the principle of partnership in making decisions must be maintained as follow:

       A- Council of National Security must be formed by a law to be voted on at the same time of the approval of the government.

       B- Setting an internal regulation for the Council of Ministers that clarifies the source of decision-making, group-made decisions, and the amount of power prime minister and its deputies seize.  

       C- Adherence to the principle of Tawafuq (Consensus).

4. The formation of a federal council in a year's time after the government is formed. The president of the republic and his deputies must have the veto power.

5. The Election Law must be amended in order to fairly represent all Iraqis.

6. A general census must be conducted during its scheduled time.

7. Reconsidering the complex of the armed forces and other security forces and approving of and implementing the principle of balance.

8. Implementing the principle of balance in all of the state institutions including ministries and independent committees and etc…

9. Implementing Article 140 of the constitution and allocating a necessary budget to help the article get implemented in no latter than two years' time.

10. Approving the finally agreed-upon draft law of water resources in a year's time following the formation of the government.

11.  Approving the finally agreed-upon draft law of oil and gas in a year's time following the formation of the government.

12. Funding and arming the guards of the region (Peshmerga) as part of the Iraq's Defense System.

13. Supporting the candidate of the Kurdistani Alliance to become the Rresident of the Republic.

14.  Compensating the victims of the former regime including the victims of Anfal [a genocidal campaign in the 1980s resulted in killing more than a 100,000 Kurds] and chemical weapons used against Halabja and other places. The compensation must be immediate and just.

15. The Kurds must be granted key posts in key ministries and the Council of Ministers as well as independent committees in a just way with taking into consideration the rights of the nations [ethnicities]. 

16. The Kurdistan's faction must have the right to vote in the approval of the key ministers and other ministries related to the Kurdistan region.

17. The secretary general of the Council of Ministers has to be a candidate from the Kurdistani Alliance. 

18. The coalition government shall be dissolved if the Kurdistani Alliance withdraws because of clear violations of the constitution or the refusal to abide by the terms of the program that we have agreed upon.

19.  The members of the parliament and government employees representing the prime minister must support the previous projects.