Kurdish PM mulls with U.S. officers security situation in Iraq

ARBIL / IraqiNews.com: Kurdistan’s Prime Minister Negervan Barzani on Wednesday discussed with commander of the coalition forces in Iraq’s northern provinces and commander of coalition forces in Kirkuk and Mosul the security situation in the country, the Kurdistan Regional Government Kurdistan RegionG) said in a statement. “The meeting tackled the recent developments in Iraq and the security situation as well as the cooperation between the coalition forces, the Iraqi troops and the Kurdistan regional government for boosting stability throughout Iraq,” said the statement received by IraqiNews.com news agency. “They also discussed the situation in Mosul, Kirkuk and the disputed areas and asserted the necessity to solve all pending issues by dialogue and peaceful ways and the implementation of article 140 of the constitution,” it added. Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution is related to the normalization of the situation in Kirkuk city and other disputed areas. Kurds seek to include the city in the autonomous Iraq’s Kurdistan region, while Sunni Muslims, Turkmen and Shiites oppose the incorporation. The article currently stipulates that all Arabs in Kirkuk be returned to their original locations in southern and central Iraqi areas, and formerly displaced residents returned to Kirkuk, 250 km northeast of Baghdad. The article also calls for conducting a census to be followed by a referendum to let the inhabitants decide whether they would like Kirkuk to be annexed to the autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan region or having it as an independent province. SH (S) 1