Arabs reject U.N. Kirkuk proposal

KIRKUK, Iraq, June 9 (UPI) -- Arabs in the Iraqi province of Kirkuk said they don't like a set of U.N. recommendations for a power-sharing agreement with Kurds in the region.

The proposals drawn up by U.N. Special Envoy Steffan de Mistura have been rejected by committees representing Kirkuk's Arab population, which reportedly objected to an initial phase the proposal allowing the autonomous Kurdistan region to run cities in parts of the Mosul region, al-Sumaria Iraqi Satellite TV reported.

Arab participants in the meeting instead affirmed their support for the Arab unity bloc in Kirkuk, saying its policies best reflect the hopes and ambitions of Arab in the region.

De Mistura's second-stage resolutions cover disputed areas including Tal Afar, Sinjar, Shikhan and Khanqin while the third stage would be centered on the city of Kirkuk, al-Sumaria reported.

Arabs, Turkmen and Kurds have been disputing political control of Kirkuk, Iraq's fourth-largest city, since Kurdish forces briefly occupied it after the U.S. invasion of 2003 toppled former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.