Arab, Turkmen leaders in Iraq oppose Kurd staffing decision

May 25, 2010, 15:34 GMT

Baghdad/Kirkuk - A group of Arab and Turkmen leaders in Kirkuk criticized on Tuesday the Iraqi government's decision to permanently staff hundreds of Kurds who moved to the area in 2003 to fight with US forces.

They say the officers have not been through the proper training and qualification channels, and that the decision is part of a policy that marginalizes Arab and Turkmen populations in the ethnically divided area.

Kirkuk is home to a large population of Kurds, who would like to see it become the capital of a future independent Kurdistan. But many of Kirkuk's ethnic Turkmen and Arab populations want it to remain a part of Iraq.

The Iraqi ministry of interior approved the permanent appointment of 382 Kurds currently serving on the police force, working for traffic police and protecting oil fields in the provinces of Diyala and Kirkuk, General Sarhad Qader said.

'The decision contradicts the Kirkuk provincial council directive of maintaining a national balance for all official appointments,' Abdullah Sami al-Asi, an Arab leader and council member, said at a press conference.

The Arab and Turkmen leaders are requesting a review of the decision once the new government has been formed, so as not to politicize the delicate issue of Kirkuk, he added.

'We as Turkmen reject this decision because there are unqualified people in this group,' Turkmen politician Hassan Tawran noted. 'We demand a fair proportion in official appointments.'

The council's Turkmen and Arab coalitions also issued a joint statement alleging that they have been consistently marginalized for the past seven years.

But Ribawar Talabani, the Vice President of the Kirkuk provincial council, called the decision a welcome one.

'We requested this decision two years ago, and now it has been taken after careful consideration. The officers have proven their competence and qualification through their performance, and this decision protects their rights,' Talabani said.