Kirkuk provincial elections set for 2010?

BAGHDAD, July 6 (UPI) -- Kirkuk should hold parliamentary elections at some point before greater Iraq holds national elections in January, said Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

Iraq held provincial elections in January in 14 of its 18 provinces. The three Kurdish provinces -- Dahuk, Sulaimaniya and Erbil -- hold their provincial elections in January 2009, when the rest of Iraq is slated for parliamentary elections.

Officials had delayed voting in Kirkuk indefinitely while international and national lawmakers hammered out administrative disputes over the oil-rich province.

In an effort to alter the demographics in Kirkuk, Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein launched a campaign in the late 1980s to drive Kurdish, Assyrian and Turkoman families from the region.

Kurdish authorities and Baghdad have considered a number of provisions aimed at settling the issue over administrative claims, with Kirkuk falling under a special provision, going to greater Iraq or annexing into Iraqi Kurdistan.

A parliamentary committee tasked with settling the Kirkuk issue came away from a March 31 resolution deadline with nothing to show in terms of political settlements.

Maliki, in comments published by the official National Media Center, called for open dialogue on Kirkuk, promising a visit to the region in the near future.

He added that his government seeks to hold provincial council elections in Kirkuk along with national parliamentary elections scheduled for January.