Kirkuk issue destabilizing, analyst says

WASHINGTON, Aug. 13 (UPI) -- Political skirmishes between the Kurdish government and Baghdad put the possibility of provincial elections in Iraq in doubt, a former Iraqi army officer said.

Nazar Janabi, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, writes bickering over the oil-rich northern region has threatened political progress and stability in the country.

Kurdish regions experienced political violence and conflicts between the Iraqi military and the Kurdish Peshmerga forces throughout the summer. The situation escalated following a failed measure on July 22 to pass the provincial elections law.

Janabi writes that Sunni protests of the 2005 election resulted in disproportionate representation among local elected officials, putting Shiites and Kurds in many key positions. Regarding the 2008 provincial elections, the measure failed in part due to a veto from Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, himself a Kurd.

This political climate suggests Arab lawmakers would respond, says Janabi, by voting against any measure by Kurdistan to annex Kirkuk once candidates were detached from party slates, a condition considered for provincial elections.

Janabi, a former Iraqi defense official, says though the issue of Kirkuk remains contentious, any resolution needs to preserve the Kurdish culture and agenda while ensuring Kirkuk remains part of greater Iraq.

"Insisting that Kirkuk be a part of the Kurdistan Regional Government will further escalate anti-Kurdish sentiments and may lead to confrontation that will send the still-recovering country into a new spiral of ethnic violence," he warns.