Non-Kurdish inhabitants have warned in the past that attempts to “separate” Kirkuk from Iraq will cause violence, and possibly ethnic cleansing. Turkey has also spoken against oil-rich Kirkuk joining Kurdistan, citing the rights of the Turkmen population of the city.
Kurdish parties, however, insist on the application of the 140th article of the Iraqi constitution, which calls, among other things, for a census and a referendum that would determine the status of Kirkuk. The referendum is due by the end of 2007.
As debates about the article 140 inflame the parliament, Kirkuk is witnessing a wave of violence, culminating today with a car bomb that killed over 12 civilians, many of whom were schoolchildren.
Pan-Arab al-Hayat relayed the discussions of the Iraqi parliament, which is witnessing a strong wave of protests by Arab deputies against the article 140. The newspaper said that MP Usama al-Najeefi announced that he will present a legal challenge to the decision allowing the article 140 to enter into application. Najifi, who belongs to 'Allawi’s bloc, said that the law is “unconstitutional” and that “it clearly neglects the rights of Arabs and Turkmen,” warning that it will lead to a “confrontation between Kurds and Arabs.”
On the other hand, Kurdish politicians are criticizing the reluctance of the government to apply the article 140. Al-Hayat spoke to a Kurdish Minister who attacked al-Maliki’s decree transferring decision over article 140 from his person to his cabinet. The Minister said: “The Prime Minister told me last week that Minister X is a terrorist ... if Maliki accuses ministers of terrorism, how can I place the cause of my people in the hands of a terrorist?”
Az-Zaman, meanwhile, relayed dangerous claims concerning the massacre of Tal 'Afar. According to the newspaper, the police chief of Tal 'Afar, whose units allegedly participated in a massacre against civilians, was “smuggled out of Iraq” after being relieved of his duties last week. Az-Zaman claimed that Colonel Sabah 'Uwaid was “smuggled” out of Iraq, while other reports told the newspaper that he went to the Green Zone.
Both Al-Mada and Az-Zaman wrote on newly released reports showing an increase in the number of Iraqi journalists killed, kidnapped and arrested this year, but Az-Zaman put a different spin on the story, using it as a platform to discredit al-Maliki's government.
In an interesting report from Baghdad, al-Hayat said that Muqtada al-Sadr is facing pressures from his base to respond to “American aggression” against their party and their neighborhoods. Al-Sadr had publicly agreed not to resist the new security plan, but according to al-Hayat, the inaction of the Mahdi Army is causing disgruntlement among the popular base.
“Sources” told the newspaper that Muqtada is receiving many “letters from the rank and file of the party urging a swift response to the attacks of terrorists against Shi'a neighborhood, and the American attacks against the leadership.”
The fact that the Sadr movement has turned into an umbrella organization for many dissimilar Shi'a groups, including some that are attached to Iran and others that practice sectarian killing, has made matters more complicated.
The al-Hayat report said that there are three divergent views within the party decision-making circle: one that asks for a full protection for all Sadrists, regardless of their loyalty to the party principles; another that argues for a “cleansing” process, where groups undertaking illegal activities under the Sadr banner get purged from the party structure; and a third view that demands the formulation of a political program to challenge the government, and a parallel military one to respond to the US Army.
Meanwhile, a Sadrist leader interviewed by al-Hayat expressed his dismay over the perceived inaction of the Sadrist leadership: “Many of our talents have abandoned political and military action in the Sadr offices because of the unclarity of the leadership’s vision,” he complained.
The same leader warned against his organization’s infiltration by the “Iranian intelligence,” saying that “a high percentage of leaders and cadres could be handed over (by the Iranians) in the eventuality of a political deal with the US.”
Finally, both Az-Zaman and Al-Hayat noted the rise in violence in the provinces north of Baghdad. Az-Zaman reported on a new case of mass-kidnapping in Diyali, where 16 men were abducted by a fake checkpoint, then executed. Such incidents, Az-Zaman said, were rampant last summer, and the province’s residents are fearing their return. Al-Hayat attributed the rise in violence in the Northern provinces to the movement of armed groups out of Baghdad.
