19 October 2011
Erbil - Kamal Kirkuki, speaker of the Kurdistan Region Parliament, supported Kurds who protested against Prime Minister Nuri al-Makiki's order to lower Kurdish flags from government buildings in Khanaqin, but he also doubted that Maliki ever gave the order.
Kirkuki spoke at a demonstration of presumably thousands of students in the Kurdistan Region's capital Erbil, saying that every Kurd is a member of the Kurdish defense forces, or peshmarga, when the protection of the Kurdish flag is needed. He called it the "constitutional flag".
"We have struggled under the shade of this flag, we never allowed it to be lowered. And now, we will defend it with our own lives and properties," Kirkuki said.
However, Kirkuki doubted that Maliki really gave the order. He believes the flag order was a conspiracy against the Prime Minister. "He has not issued such an order."
Last Tuesday, Khanaqin administer Mohammed Mala Hasan, a Kurd, claimed that he had been handed a written order from Maliki to raise only Iraqi flags on government buildings and lower all Kurdish flags.
The Kurdish flag is the official flag of the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan. It is also considered to be the national flag of the Kurds in Iraq and the neighboring countries with Kurdish minorities.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) supported Hasan when he refused the order and referred to a previous agreement between Baghdad and Erbil after the U.S. invasion in 2003.
Government Spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh tried to deny responsibility, saying the order was "carried out by the local government at an inappropriate time" and the dispute was sparked by "external political parties and powers".
Meanwhile, the Kurdistan Region saw continuing protests against the flag order.
In Erbil, students started a demonstration at Salahaddin University and marched through the city.
"Students have always been the spearhead and will remain so to protect the achievements of the Kurdistan Region," Kurdistan Students Union Secretary Irfan Aziz said. "We call on all Kurdish leaders to insist on the implementation of article 140 of the Iraqi constitution."
Article 140, which has long been delayed, would authorize payments to Kurds who were forced from their homes under Saddam Hussein, a comprehensive census of ethnic groups and a referendum to decide if disputed areas, such as Khanaqin, should fall under the control of Kurdistan Regional Government.
With approximately 170,000 inhabitants, Khanaqin, 155 km northeast of the city of Baquba, is one of the disputed areas between the KRG and the federal government. It has been managed by the KRG since 2003.
Erbil - Kamal Kirkuki, speaker of the Kurdistan Region Parliament, supported Kurds who protested against Prime Minister Nuri al-Makiki's order to lower Kurdish flags from government buildings in Khanaqin, but he also doubted that Maliki ever gave the order.
Kirkuki spoke at a demonstration of presumably thousands of students in the Kurdistan Region's capital Erbil, saying that every Kurd is a member of the Kurdish defense forces, or peshmarga, when the protection of the Kurdish flag is needed. He called it the "constitutional flag".
"We have struggled under the shade of this flag, we never allowed it to be lowered. And now, we will defend it with our own lives and properties," Kirkuki said.
However, Kirkuki doubted that Maliki really gave the order. He believes the flag order was a conspiracy against the Prime Minister. "He has not issued such an order."
Last Tuesday, Khanaqin administer Mohammed Mala Hasan, a Kurd, claimed that he had been handed a written order from Maliki to raise only Iraqi flags on government buildings and lower all Kurdish flags.
The Kurdish flag is the official flag of the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan. It is also considered to be the national flag of the Kurds in Iraq and the neighboring countries with Kurdish minorities.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) supported Hasan when he refused the order and referred to a previous agreement between Baghdad and Erbil after the U.S. invasion in 2003.
Government Spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh tried to deny responsibility, saying the order was "carried out by the local government at an inappropriate time" and the dispute was sparked by "external political parties and powers".
Meanwhile, the Kurdistan Region saw continuing protests against the flag order.
In Erbil, students started a demonstration at Salahaddin University and marched through the city.
"Students have always been the spearhead and will remain so to protect the achievements of the Kurdistan Region," Kurdistan Students Union Secretary Irfan Aziz said. "We call on all Kurdish leaders to insist on the implementation of article 140 of the Iraqi constitution."
Article 140, which has long been delayed, would authorize payments to Kurds who were forced from their homes under Saddam Hussein, a comprehensive census of ethnic groups and a referendum to decide if disputed areas, such as Khanaqin, should fall under the control of Kurdistan Regional Government.
With approximately 170,000 inhabitants, Khanaqin, 155 km northeast of the city of Baquba, is one of the disputed areas between the KRG and the federal government. It has been managed by the KRG since 2003.
© AK News 2011
