Parl. to vote on Kirkuk issue if consensus is not reached-MP

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: A lawmaker from the Iraqi Accord Front (IAF) on Saturday said that a parliamentary vote on proposals to resolve the Kirkuk issue will be held if a consensus is not reached within the coming two days. “The Parliament has an opportunity to reach a consensus on Kirkuk until Monday,” MP Rasheed al-Azzawi told IraqiNews.com news agency. Describing a possible vote on the submitted proposals as “constitutional”, Azzawi said that the process does not require the approval of Kirkuk’s residents. Throughout the past week, the Iraqi Parliament has failed to pass the elections bill due to differences over the status of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk in the law on parliamentary elections, scheduled to be held on January 16, 2010. SS (P)/SR 1