Maliki: Raising Kurdistan Flag in Kirkuk Leads to Complication

Erbil (BasNews)/(IraqiNews.com) Iraqi Shi’ite politician and the leader of Islamic Dawa Party, Nouri al-Maliki, has opposed recent decision by Kirkuk provincial council to hoist Kurdistan flag over state buildings, saying such a move will further complicate the situation between different components.

Maliki, who served as Iraq’s PM between 2006 and 2014, believes that following the procedures to implement the article 140 from the Iraqi constitution which is designed to address the issues pertaining to the disputed Kurdish areas.

Any unilateral decision being made without taking constitutional procedures into consideration, will is a violation and threat to coexistence in Kirkuk,” Maliki said in a statement.

Earlier on Tuesday, Kirkuk provincial council voted in favor of governor Najmaddin Karim’s proposal to raise Kurdistan flag over government institutes next to the Iraqi flag. The decision was welcomed by the Kurdish population and part of the Arabs and Turkmens in the province.

Kirkuk is one area where Kurdistan region disputes sovereignty with Iraq.

Kurdistan gained autonomous governance based on the 2005 constitution, but is still considered a part of Iraq. The region was created in 1970 based on an agreement with the Iraqi government, ending years of fierce fighting.

Both governments in Iraq and Erbil engaged in political spats over regions recaptured by Kurdish Peshmerga (army) troops from the Islamic State militants since campaigns against the group launched in October. While Kurdish politicians and MPs occasionally reiterated they were not going to cede those areas, Baghdad said it was expecting Kurdish troops to pull out after IS is eliminated.

The flag issue also drew condemnation from Turkey in March. Its foreign ministry said in a statement that the Iraqi constitution regulated the administration of disputed areas, and added that “one-sided” actions could induce instability.