De Mistura in Kirkuk on elections talks

KIRKUK, Iraq, Dec. 16 (UPI) -- The U.N. special envoy to Iraq arrived in Kirkuk Tuesday to discuss the provincial elections in the disputed territories, the United Nations said.

Iraqi lawmakers passed a measure in September paving the way for January provincial elections. Officials, however, set aside a vote in Kirkuk.

The government in Iraqi Kurdistan maintains Kirkuk is Kurdish, while Sunni Arab and Turkomen offered power-sharing agreements for the oil-rich city.

Lawmakers had worked with U.N. officials to resolve the Kirkuk dispute, ultimately postponing the vote until a separate measure dealing with the issue could be negotiated.

Staffan de Mistura, the special representative of the secretary-general for Iraq, arrived in Kirkuk Tuesday for a two-day visit with local leaders and representatives from a committee dealing with the elections, the U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq said.

His visit follows a suicide bombing at a popular restaurant near Kirkuk Dec. 11 that killed at least 55 people and wounded more than 100 others as Iraqis celebrated the feast of Eid al-Adha.