Lawmaker rules out solving Kirkuk issue according to articles 140, 23

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: MP from the United Iraqi Alliance (UIA), Abbas al-Bayati, on Friday ruled out solving the controversial issue of Kirkuk through articles 140 or 23 of the constitution, because of what he described as the complication of this problem. “All attempts to solve the problems through these two articles failed because of the complication of the Kirkuk problem,” al-Bayati told IraqiNews.com news agency. “Solving the Kirkuk issue needs three basic elements; enough time, mutual confidence among the Kirkuk components and the agreement among the components on an administrative formula for Kirkuk,” he explained. Article 140 calls on the Arab population in the region to return to their native areas in central and southern Iraq while displaced Kurds return to Kirkuk. It also stipulates the fate of Kirkuk should depend on a census and subsequent referendum to allow citizens to decide if the city should fall within the jurisdiction of Erbil or Baghdad. Article 23 relates to provincial elections and was formed by the Iraqi parliament to distribute power in Kirkuk province by giving Kurds, Arabs and Turkmen 32% of political posts each and the remaining 4% to the Christians. Kirkuk is 250 km northeast of Baghdad. SH (S) 1