Kirkuk compensation for voluntary exit
"The Iraqi government will soon begin relocating Arabs who were moved to Kirkuk under an edict by Saddam Hussein to force Kurds out of the disputed northern city, officials said Saturday.
The controversial step for the oil-rich city could help determine whether it becomes part of an autonomous Kurdish region, but critics warned that it would stoke sectarian tensions.
Iraq's cabinet on Thursday endorsed a committee's recent recommendation to compensate eligible Arabs who voluntarily leave the city, said Sadiq al-Rikabi, a political adviser to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Those who choose to move will receive about $15,000 and a plot of land in their home town. Officials will soon accept applications to determine eligibility, he said.
. . . Abdul Rahman Munshed al-Asi, leader of the Arab advisory council of Kirkuk, said Saturday that many Arabs fear that the repatriation would be voluntary in name but carried out with force by Kirkuk's Kurdish-led security forces." [1]
"Iraq's constitution sets an end-of-the-year deadline for a referendum on Kirkuk's status. Since Saddam's fall four years ago, thousands of Kurds who once lived in the city have resettled there. It is now believed Kurds are a majority of the population and that a referendum on attaching Kirkuk to the Kurdish autonomous zone would pass easily." [2]
source
[1] Brulliard, Karin. (The Washington Post). Iraq Prepares to Resettle Arabs Sent to Kirkuk by Hussein Edict. April 1, 2007.
[2] Hurst, Steven R. (The Associated Press). Iraq Endorses Arab Relocation for Kirkuk. March 31, 2007.
posted: monday, april 2, 2007, 4:59 AM ET
update: monday, april 2, 2007, 5:35 AM ET
tags: iraq kirkuk
The controversial step for the oil-rich city could help determine whether it becomes part of an autonomous Kurdish region, but critics warned that it would stoke sectarian tensions.
Iraq's cabinet on Thursday endorsed a committee's recent recommendation to compensate eligible Arabs who voluntarily leave the city, said Sadiq al-Rikabi, a political adviser to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Those who choose to move will receive about $15,000 and a plot of land in their home town. Officials will soon accept applications to determine eligibility, he said.
. . . Abdul Rahman Munshed al-Asi, leader of the Arab advisory council of Kirkuk, said Saturday that many Arabs fear that the repatriation would be voluntary in name but carried out with force by Kirkuk's Kurdish-led security forces." [1]
"Iraq's constitution sets an end-of-the-year deadline for a referendum on Kirkuk's status. Since Saddam's fall four years ago, thousands of Kurds who once lived in the city have resettled there. It is now believed Kurds are a majority of the population and that a referendum on attaching Kirkuk to the Kurdish autonomous zone would pass easily." [2]
source
[1] Brulliard, Karin. (The Washington Post). Iraq Prepares to Resettle Arabs Sent to Kirkuk by Hussein Edict. April 1, 2007.
[2] Hurst, Steven R. (The Associated Press). Iraq Endorses Arab Relocation for Kirkuk. March 31, 2007.
posted: monday, april 2, 2007, 4:59 AM ET
update: monday, april 2, 2007, 5:35 AM ET
tags: iraq kirkuk
posted by eric at 3:01 AM
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