No consensus on Halabja in Baghdad

9-3-2014 – MESOP – A Kurdish MP says there is no consensus in the Iraqi parliament over the draft law for establishing a Halabja governorate. Ashwaq Jaf, from the Kurdistan Alliance bloc in Iraqi Parliament, said that other parliament members have not showed their support to vote on the draft law to recognize Halabja city as the 19th province of Iraq due to political crisis in the country.

On the other hand, Barzani has requested the KRG to proceed independently to establish a Halabja governorate without Baghdad’s approval. But NGOs in Halabja announced that there is no justification for the KRG to suspend the Halabja provincial establishment for several years and Barzani’s initiative is too late for now and it is part of the election campaign. (Hawlati, KT)