Kurds push for Article 140 passage

ERBIL, Iraq, Oct. 9 (UPI) -- Top officials in the Kurdish Parliament told U.S. diplomats it was imperative Baghdad passed constitutional measures regarding the demographics of Kirkuk.

Kurdish Parliament Vice President Kamal Kirkuki and Karkhi Alti Barmagh of the Turkomen bloc welcomed the U.S. representative to Kirkuk, Howard Keegan, to discuss the status of Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution.

Former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein waged a campaign in the late 1980s to drive Assyrian, Kurdish and Turkomen families from the oil-rich city of Kirkuk to alter the demographics to an Arab population. Article 140 considers whether enough Kurds have returned to classify the area as Kurdish.

Kirkuki said the situation in the north is complicated by a small population bent on stoking sectarian divisions in the region, saying the article is in accordance with the principles of democracy.

He called on the government to implement Article 140 for the sake of the Iraqi and Kurdish peoples. "Otherwise we say with confidence that the whole of Kurdistan is ready to defend the legitimate rights against injustice in a civilized manner and away from violence," he said.

For his part, Keegan said it was important to honor constitutional measures and called on all parties to use diplomacy to settle disputes as a confidence-building measure between the Kurdish and central Iraqi governments.