Roads to Iraq

Kirkuk

If we go through the main points decided today, we can conclude that they are a modified version of the 22 July law that was rejected by the Kurds and postpone the problem until next year:

- Postpone the provincial election in Kirkuk.

- Keep the status-quo in the province as it is for the time being.

- Finding an administrative and security power-sharing mechanism between the three main components in the province [that is: 32% Arabs, 32% Kurds, 32% Turkmen and 4% others] until the holding an election in Kirkuk.

- Legislation of a special election law for Kirkuk enables the province to run the election before the end of the next year.

The main point in the election law which causes the crisis is Article 24 agreed upon 22 July:

Postpone the elections in Kirkuk province of Kirkuk and its counties until the election preparing committee ends its tasks, and power sharing among Kirkuk’s three main components by 32% each.

Today Arab and Turkmen insisted on the inclusion of the Article 13 of the Provincial Election Law and this rejected by the Kurds:

Parties and political blocs should provide a registered list of their candidates competing in the province. The list must contain at least four candidates.

But notice this proposal from Arab-Kirkuk representative in the parliament, who suggested to form an Arab nationalism alliance in the parliament just like the Kurds did.

Khanaqin

Funny to see Maliki’s government “nationalism” is hot item discussed on western Blog, so this is a live example:

Kurdish newspaper Aso revealed that the American forces yesterday prevented an armed confrontation between the Iraqi army in Jalaula’ – Diyala with the Kurdish Peshmerga militia.

Iraqi army asked the Kurds to leave their military positions in the city and Kurds refused saying that they got orders to not to leave their positions.

Why Iraqi army is such enthusiast about Khanaqin – Diyala and even ready for armed confrontation against the Kurds?

Sheikh Ya’koub Al-Lihaibi, Chief of Lihaib Tribe in Jalula said the following:

The “United Iraqi Alliance” and “Accordance Front” decided to share Khanaqin among themselves; they conspired against the Kurds and agreed to give Khanaqin to the Shiites and Jalula to the Sunnis.