SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region – Local officials in Kirkuk are refusing to implement a directive from Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki that grants property and employment rights to families living in the disputed Kurdish-Arab city for at least 10 years.
They argue that the order, signed by the Shiite Arab premier, goes against the constitution and would promote greater Arabization and demographic changes in Kirkuk.
Three months ago, Maliki sent the directive to the central and southern provinces, ordering that families living there for the last 10 years receive all privileges related to land ownership and employment, even if their original domiciles are from elsewhere in Iraq.
Iraq’s autonomous Kurds consider Kirkuk as the capital of their future homeland. But the oil-rich province has undergone huge demographic changes, with large numbers of Arabs forcefully settled there under Saddam Hussein, and thousands more who moved there during the 2003 US-led invasion.
Kirkuk Mayor Abdul Kareem Hassan urged all political parties to reject any such decisions from Baghdad, adding that all local offices have refused to implement the directive. He confirmed that the same order had been sent to all central and southern provinces.
The mayor talked about the distorted history of Kirkuk, the forceful expulsion of Kurds from the city and the settling of thousands of Arabs from the south and middle of Iraq in the city of Kirkuk.
“I have relatives being expelled to Rumadi and other cities. Their children grew up and got married in those cities and they have the identity cards of the cities where they currently reside. But they still consider themselves as Kirkukis. However, according to Maliki’s letter, they are not considered Kirkukis.”
The Kirkuk Provincial Council in a meeting decided to reject the directive, though Arab members called for its implementation. The Turkomen have not expressed any view so far.
“Neither Maliki nor the Iraqi parliament has the power to take such decisions, because it contradicts the constitution,” said Ahmed Askari, a member of the Kirkuk Provincial Council.
The controversy comes at a time when provincial officials are planning to distribute 10 thousand pieces of land in Kirkuk. Although Maliki’s directive has been blocked, officials like Askari fear there are no guarantees that relocated Arab families would not benefit from the scheme.
