Iraqi Turkmen: Protest Kerkuk City Council
This week the Turkmen group in the Kerkuk City Council protested the lack of Turkmen representation in the recent appointment of the Kerkuk City Normalization Committee
This week the Turkmen group in the Kerkuk City Council protested the lack of Turkmen representation in the recent appointment of the Kerkuk City Normalization CommitteePress Release by Iraqi Turkmen (UNPO Member since 1991):
"On Monday morning, 28.8.2006, in front of the governor building, the Turkmen group in Kerkuk City Council organized an activity to protest the unfair appointments of the members of Kerkuk City Normalization Committee (KCNC) which was stated in the item 140 of the Iraqi constitution.
Both the chairman of Kerkuk City Council and the Kerkuk City Governor attended the protest activity and declared their support to the Turkmen protesters.
Before about several weeks, the Presidency Council of the Ministers appointed only 2 Turkmen from only one Turkmen party (Islamic Union for the Turkmen of Iraq) to the KCNC, without consulting the Turkmen groups in the Iraqi National Council and even the Turkmen group in the Kerkuk City Council.
It is worth noting that there are: several Turkmen Parties under the umbrella of the ITF; that two other Turkmen parties out of the ITF umbrella; and that there are two other Turkmen Shiite Parties.
According to the new Iraqi constitution, the fate of Kerkuk should be determined in accordance to the will of the people of Kerkuk in a census to be held no later than December 31, 2007.
The protesters (Turkmen members of the Kerkuk City Council) held a Press Conference and presented the following appeals:
- Elimination of the political ban to the Turkmen political parties and institutions by Bagdad government.
- Reinstitution of the KCNC after discussion with all political groups
- Realization of ethnical balance during reinstitution of the Committee
- Ban of marginalization of Turkmen in different fields
After the protest, the Turkmen Group met the chairman of Kerkuk City Council and discussed with him the methods to contact the government in Baghdad. It was decided that Kerkuk City Council is to discuss the subject in details in the meeting which will be hold tomorrow."
