Talabani was live on PUK-affiliated radio channel Kurdsat on Sunday to take questions from voters.
“Yes there has been slacking. I think Kurds became arrogant for a long time and Article 140 was neglected. We should have tried harder while Mam Jalal was in Baghdad,” said Talabani.
Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution calls for the normalization of areas it refers to as disputed, to be followed by a referendum on whether or not those regions want to be part of the Kurdistan Region.
According to the constitution, the article should have been implemented by the end of 2007, yet so far no referendum has been conducted regarding this issue.
He cited the illness of PUK-founder and former Iraq president Jalal Talabani, the financial crisis, the war against ISIS, and other issues for distracting PUK MPs from working sufficiently on the Article 140.
He said the main task of their MPs in Baghdad after the May 12 election will be working on the implementation of the Article 140.
He argued that the dreams Kurds tried to obtain through the referendum, which he says damaged Kurdish interests, could be obtained through the implementation of the Article 140.
Kirkuk was taken from the Peshmerga by the Iraqi Army and Hashd al-Shaabi paramilitaries in October 2017.
“Mam Jalal had a vision. It included coexistence. It included the right of self-determination, but not through the method our friends [the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP)] used. There were other paths. We could have made the dreams of the people of Southern Kurdistan come true through the implementation of Article 140,” Talabani said, admitting their task has become more difficult.
However, he is hopeful that many issues, such as the joint administration of disputed territories before the implementation of Article 140, can be resolved after the elections.
“Certainly. I believe this [the return of Peshmerga to Kirkuk and disputed territories] is a thing that needs to happen. I think, after the elections, if Kurds especially garner massive votes, the Iraqi government is compelled to heed it. Based on the Iraqi constitution, these areas need to be administered jointly. We have had talks with Coalition forces, and we are on the line with Iraqi forces. But I believe these will only be concluded following Iraqi parliamentary elections,” Talabani said.
He revealed a joint operations room had been created to check any violations at the ballot box.
“This election will determine what role Kurdistan will play in Iraq,” he said.
