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*****Talabani's Party: Kirkuk is Kurdish – And Not Subject to Bargaining*****
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
*****Iraqi President Jalal Talabani's political party, *****the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan,***** announced yesterday that the Province of Kirkuk is Kurdish***** and that there can be no bargaining over it.*****
The party claims that an agreement*****with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's State of Law***** regarding the future of the province was not fulfilled.*****
The oil-rich Kirkuk Province, located 250 km (139 miles) north of Baghdad, is inhabited by a mix of Kurds, Arabs, Turkmen, Christians and Yazdis. It is considered one of the most controversial provinces in Iraq, as Arabs and Turkmen (the latter with support from Turkey) would prefer an independent status for the province while the Kurds consider it an in integral part of the Kurdish region.
*****Under Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution, *****a referendum should have taken place no later than December 2007***** to determine the future of the province.*****Political obstacles have so far prevented the referendum from taking place.*****
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