Kirkuk Governor: Kurdistan flag will remain on state buildings

KIRKUK, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – The Governor of Kirkuk Najmaldin Karim on Sunday stated the province would not abide by the Iraqi Parliament’s decision to remove the Kurdistan flag from state buildings.

Following a meeting with some of the retired Peshmerga soldiers in Kirkuk, Karim spoke to reporters in a press conference and gave an update on the dispute.

“I would like to assure you all that the [Kurdistan] flag will remain high [on Kirkuk governmental buildings],” he stated.

On Saturday, the parliament of Iraq held a session where they discussed the raising of the Kurdistan flag in Kirkuk among other topics.

The assembly decided the Kurdistan flag should be removed from state buildings in Kirkuk which led to a confrontation between Kurdish MPs and the Parliament Speaker.

Moreover, the Kurdish members also boycotted the meeting.

“We will not abide by the decision,” the Governor said. “According to the constitution of Iraq, the parliament cannot impose such a decision on us.”

Karim also mentioned he spoke with the Kurdish MPs to appeal the parliament’s decision.

“We are sure that in a just court, the decision will favor our side as it is a constitutional move,” he explained.

In a press conference on Saturday evening, the Head of Kirkuk Provincial Council Rebwar Talabani said Kirkuk would not implement the decision approved by the Iraqi Parliament on the Council’s motion.

On March 28, The Kirkuk Provincial Council (KPC) approved the raising of the Kurdistan flag on all governmental buildings in the province after a majority vote.

Many of the Turkmen and Arab members of the council boycotted the session after Governor Karim rejected their request to postpone the meeting for the following week.

Kurds view the recent decision as a “historical” vote to link the deprived Kurdish-majority province back to the Kurdistan Region.

Kirkuk is considered one of the disputed territories between the federal government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

The province is an oil-rich area located in the south of the Kurdistan Region and north of Iraq.

Although Kurds make up a majority of the population, Kirkuk is a diverse region with different ethnic and religious backgrounds including Turkmen, Arabs, and Christians.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany