The future of Kirkuk under fierce debate

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The future of Kirkuk under fierce debate
OluÅŸturulma Tarihi: Haziran 08, 2005 00:00

A fierce row is expected to break out over the status of Kirkuk, Iraq's oil-rich city that is mostly populated by Kurds. Iraqi officials are currently in the process of preparing a draft of the country's new constitution and there has been some concern voiced over the territory of Kirkuk by the Kurds, they are saying that they want the city of Kirkuk back after they were driven out in the late 1980s by the former leader and tyrant Saddam Hussein. Saddam's policy of "Arabization" was to drive ethnic groups out of Kirkuk such as the Kurds and move Arabs in. The Kurds believe they deserve an independent homeland. Human Rights Watch estimates that more than a quarter- million Kurds and non-Arabs were forcefully expelled from their homes in Kirkuk. Tens-of-thousands of Arab settlers have left the region since 2003, but tens-of-thousands have chosen to stay in towns and villages believing that these places are now their homes. Although many people are choosing to stay in the region they have not been without violence. there has been numerous attacks on civilians by the insurgents, also of prominent leaders from each group. The insurgents have attacked the pipelines causing damage to the infrastructure of the industry in the region. Kurds represent the second-largest voting block in the national assembly. Many expect there to be fierce debates over the future of Kirkuk, some say that the internal borders of the city may even be redefined - giving Kirkuk back to the Kurds, in order to create an independent Kurdistan. Something that Turkey does not want to see happen. A senior member of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, Adnan Mufti, says the debate is not about the oil. "Historically, Kirkuk is part of Kurdistan, and the majority are Kurd - and they suffered too much," Mr. Mufti says. "Thousands-and-thousands of them have suffered and been killed during the dictatorship. So, it is very normal that we are looking for the right of Kirkuk people, and the right to return back to Kurdistan area. But the oil, it is no problem. Kurdistan is rich. All Iraq is rich. Oil is everywhere."Â
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