Tayfour warns of “Arabization” policy in disputed areas

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Second Deputy Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament Arif Tayfour on Saturday warned against continued policy of “Arabization” in Kirkuk and other areas subject to dispute between Baghdad government and the Iraqi Kurdistan Region. “There are still some lackeys of the former regime that try to create problems, shake stability and security in disputed areas and scupper article 140 of the Constitution, voted over by most Iraqis,” Tayfour said in a statement received by IraqiNews.com news agency. Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution mandates a process of normalization and referendum for disputed territories, although it continues to be a vexing issue which needs to be addressed. The most significant of these disputed territories is the governorate and city of Kirkuk, which suffered ethnic cleansing and expulsion by the Baathist regime of Saddam Hussein. Makhmur, Sinjar, Khanaqeen and other areas of rural Kurdistan also fall under the jurisdiction of Article 140. The future of Iraq depends on Article 140 and its aim of using a democratic and constitutional framework to address problems that are long overdue for resolution. The Iraqi government failed to meet the 2007 deadline for Kirkuk specified by Article 140, which includes full normalization and a referendum on unifying with the Kurdistan Regional Government. A six-month extension was granted to fulfill this constitutional obligation. AmR (TS)/SR 1025