Lawmakers: Committee for Disputed Territories Was Dissolved
Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2013 5:48 pmSULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region – A parliamentary committee in the Kurdistan Region, to help solve the issue of disputed territories, remained powerless and was ultimately dissolved for failure to produce results, according to its former chairman and other MPs.
According to Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution, ownership of the disputed territories is to be decided by a referendum. But before the plebiscite, the constitution says that displaced Kurds will be compensated and helped to resettle in their old homes, and Arabs brought in by Saddam Hussein’s ousted regime will likewise be compensated to helped to resettle in their native regions.
“Everything related to Article 140 had to be decided in Baghdad and they kept ignoring it,” said Kamal Karkuki, a former MP who chaired the committee, whose task was to follow up on developments.
Nasih Ghafur, another former MP, said that the committee could have been successful if it was independent and had included experts such as university professors and government representatives.
Rebwar Talabani, the deputy head of Kirkuk Provincial Council, said that the committee didn’t even visit Kirkuk once. “We never saw them and were not aware of their work,” he added.
Kwestan Muhammad, an MP from the Change Movement (Gorran), criticized the defunct committee for having been inactive. She said it should have closely monitored compensation to displaced families and produced regular reports. “The committee didn’t do any of this,” she said, adding that it was a right move to dissolve it.
Muhammad said that lack of progress led to the dissolution of the committee, which was replaced by another, called The Association of Disputed Territories.
According to Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution, ownership of the disputed territories is to be decided by a referendum. But before the plebiscite, the constitution says that displaced Kurds will be compensated and helped to resettle in their old homes, and Arabs brought in by Saddam Hussein’s ousted regime will likewise be compensated to helped to resettle in their native regions.
“Everything related to Article 140 had to be decided in Baghdad and they kept ignoring it,” said Kamal Karkuki, a former MP who chaired the committee, whose task was to follow up on developments.
Nasih Ghafur, another former MP, said that the committee could have been successful if it was independent and had included experts such as university professors and government representatives.
Rebwar Talabani, the deputy head of Kirkuk Provincial Council, said that the committee didn’t even visit Kirkuk once. “We never saw them and were not aware of their work,” he added.
Kwestan Muhammad, an MP from the Change Movement (Gorran), criticized the defunct committee for having been inactive. She said it should have closely monitored compensation to displaced families and produced regular reports. “The committee didn’t do any of this,” she said, adding that it was a right move to dissolve it.
Muhammad said that lack of progress led to the dissolution of the committee, which was replaced by another, called The Association of Disputed Territories.