South Kurdish official: Returning Kirkuk to Kurdistan will benefit Kurds & Turkmens

05.06.2014 – BasNews, Baghdad – The Second Vice President of the Iraqi Parliament has stated that the time has arrived for Kirkuk to be returned to the Kurdistan Region.

Arif Tayfur, Second Vice President of the Iraqi Parliament, revealed in a charter that the decision would benefit the future of Kirkuk people.“It is time to return Kirkuk to the Kurdistan Region. Kurdish people, NGOs and political parties should demand this,” he said.

Tayfur stressed that Kirkuk is a Kurdish city and the Arabization process to change the city’s demography must stop. “It is in the interest of Kirkukis to take their province back in to Kurdistan so they can solve their issues and prevent the violence which kills innocent people and causes instability.”The future of Kirkuk and other parts of northern Iraq known as disputed regions has been a cause of tension between the Kurdistan Region and the Iraqi government. Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution calls for a referendum for Kirkukis to decide whether their city becomes a part of the Kurdistan Region or stays under the Iraqi federal government.