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Saturday, 09 July 2011, 07:10 GMT
Article 140 to cover larger areas
New president vows to accelerate settling disputed areas
Changes in the leadership and task zone of the High Committee of Implementing Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution raised fears among Kurds that the new rules could reduce the Kurdish percentages in Kirkuk and other towns claimed to be parts of the federal region of Kurdistan.
Iraqi Minister of Transportation Hadi al-Amiri, a Shiite leader, was recently appointed as the president of the committee to implement Article 140, replacing Ra'id Fahmi, a communist leader who was minister of technology in Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's first cabinet. The committee, which was linked to the Iraqi Council of Ministers directly, is now linked to the General Secretariat of this council.
After taking in office, Amiri stated the committee will exert efforts to accelerate settling the issue of Article 140. Due to several obstacles, implementing this article took longer than expected. Amiri also said in his statement that this settlement must be to the benefit of all Iraqi components through removing obstacles. The committee president also noted he has good relations with Kurds. In addition, his statement noted both Kirkuk and Karbala are disputed areas, which brought up issues for Kurdish politicians.
The committee has widened its task zone to cover disputed areas in central and southern Iraqi provinces, such as in Karbala and Dhi-Qar.
Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution sets three phases for solving administrative and demographic changes in Iraqi provinces made by former Iraqi governments in past decades. The article is also considered a key in settling the issue of Kirkuk and other places Kurds claim as part of Kurdistan Region.
Although the constitution sets a deadline of the end of 2007 for completing the implementation of Article 140, it is still in phase one, which calls for returning families with compensation to their original provinces after they were deported or brought in for ethnic and political purposes. This allowed many Kurdish families to return to Kirkuk and other towns and many Arab families were please with financial compensation to return to their original provinces, leaving these controversial areas. Under the law, an Arab family is compensated with 20 million Iraqi dinars and a half of this sum for each Kurdish family. Phase two calls for a census and the third phase stipulates holding a referendum allowing the original people of the disputed areas to decide about the future of their towns.
Nasih Ghafur, a Kurdish politician, believes Article 140 mainly means Kirkuk and the other places claimed by the Kurds because this is a national and ethnic issue. On the disputed areas in the center and south of Iraq, he says those provinces are all inhabited by Arabs and are not as important as Kirkuk.
Some other Kurdish observers are not happy with keeping the committee busy with other areas than those demanded by the Kurdistan Region.
"The current changes make matters of concern for the [future] of the srticle," says Mahmoud Osman, a Kurdish member of the Iraqi Parliament. He fears the changes lessen the article's impact on the areas that are part of the Kurdistan Region.
Osman warned the Kurdistan Region's three presidents of the Region, government and parliament about "the fear of abortion of the article."He called on them to conduct immediate follow-ups on the implementation of this article, or "it will leave negative consequences" for the region's claim over Kirkuk and some other towns in the provinces of Nineveh, Diyala and Salahaddin.
Implementing Article 140 was of the 19 conditions of the Kurdish parties for joining Maliki's current cabinet. The Kurdish condition point says that serious efforts must exerted to implement the article within two years. Osman says one year has passed since Maliki approved the Kurdish proposal, and nothing has been done yet. "The Kurdish demands have fallen under other Iraqi problems," notes Osman complaining that Maliki's government is ignoring its earlier promises.
Changing the president of committee at this time was not a "good decision" according to committee vice president Narmin Osman, a Kurd. She defends the former president Fahmi who she says was working neutrally and had gained enough experience on this issue.
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Article 140 to cover larger areas
New president vows to accelerate settling disputed areas
Changes in the leadership and task zone of the High Committee of Implementing Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution raised fears among Kurds that the new rules could reduce the Kurdish percentages in Kirkuk and other towns claimed to be parts of the federal region of Kurdistan.
Iraqi Minister of Transportation Hadi al-Amiri, a Shiite leader, was recently appointed as the president of the committee to implement Article 140, replacing Ra'id Fahmi, a communist leader who was minister of technology in Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's first cabinet. The committee, which was linked to the Iraqi Council of Ministers directly, is now linked to the General Secretariat of this council.
After taking in office, Amiri stated the committee will exert efforts to accelerate settling the issue of Article 140. Due to several obstacles, implementing this article took longer than expected. Amiri also said in his statement that this settlement must be to the benefit of all Iraqi components through removing obstacles. The committee president also noted he has good relations with Kurds. In addition, his statement noted both Kirkuk and Karbala are disputed areas, which brought up issues for Kurdish politicians.
The committee has widened its task zone to cover disputed areas in central and southern Iraqi provinces, such as in Karbala and Dhi-Qar.
Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution sets three phases for solving administrative and demographic changes in Iraqi provinces made by former Iraqi governments in past decades. The article is also considered a key in settling the issue of Kirkuk and other places Kurds claim as part of Kurdistan Region.
Although the constitution sets a deadline of the end of 2007 for completing the implementation of Article 140, it is still in phase one, which calls for returning families with compensation to their original provinces after they were deported or brought in for ethnic and political purposes. This allowed many Kurdish families to return to Kirkuk and other towns and many Arab families were please with financial compensation to return to their original provinces, leaving these controversial areas. Under the law, an Arab family is compensated with 20 million Iraqi dinars and a half of this sum for each Kurdish family. Phase two calls for a census and the third phase stipulates holding a referendum allowing the original people of the disputed areas to decide about the future of their towns.
Nasih Ghafur, a Kurdish politician, believes Article 140 mainly means Kirkuk and the other places claimed by the Kurds because this is a national and ethnic issue. On the disputed areas in the center and south of Iraq, he says those provinces are all inhabited by Arabs and are not as important as Kirkuk.
Some other Kurdish observers are not happy with keeping the committee busy with other areas than those demanded by the Kurdistan Region.
"The current changes make matters of concern for the [future] of the srticle," says Mahmoud Osman, a Kurdish member of the Iraqi Parliament. He fears the changes lessen the article's impact on the areas that are part of the Kurdistan Region.
Osman warned the Kurdistan Region's three presidents of the Region, government and parliament about "the fear of abortion of the article."He called on them to conduct immediate follow-ups on the implementation of this article, or "it will leave negative consequences" for the region's claim over Kirkuk and some other towns in the provinces of Nineveh, Diyala and Salahaddin.
Implementing Article 140 was of the 19 conditions of the Kurdish parties for joining Maliki's current cabinet. The Kurdish condition point says that serious efforts must exerted to implement the article within two years. Osman says one year has passed since Maliki approved the Kurdish proposal, and nothing has been done yet. "The Kurdish demands have fallen under other Iraqi problems," notes Osman complaining that Maliki's government is ignoring its earlier promises.
Changing the president of committee at this time was not a "good decision" according to committee vice president Narmin Osman, a Kurd. She defends the former president Fahmi who she says was working neutrally and had gained enough experience on this issue.
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