Arab, Turkmen in Kirkuk rebuff participation in census committee

KIRKUK / IraqiNews.com: Arab and Turkmen members in the Iraqi parliament and the Kirkuk Provincial Council on Saturday announced their rejection of a planning ministry directive to form a committee to discuss the issue of census in the province. Representatives of Turkmen and Arabs members of parliament and the Kirkuk provincial council as well as representatives of political blocs met on Saturday to discuss recent developments on general census of the population in the province. The Iraqi ministry of planning and development cooperation had issued a ministerial order 50 on December 8 pertaining to the formation of a committee to discuss pending issues facing a census in Kirkuk. In a press conference today (Dec. 11), attended by IraqiNews.com correspondent, the conferees announced rejection of a mechanism to form the committee on the grounds that it violated article 23 of law 36/2008. The ministerial order provided that the committee would comprise three members of parliament from the Kurdistan Alliance, two Arabs and one Turkmen while article 23 stipulated equal percentage in everything that is related to Kirkuk, including the formation of committees. AmR (P) 34