The plan was presented on Saturday by Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki at a meeting of Iraq's neighbors in İstanbul but was little noticed amid the frantic diplomacy to avert a Turkish incursion into Iraq to hunt down the PKK. Iran's official IRNA news agency said Mottaki proposed a two-year delay for the referendum, due by Dec. 31, which will decide whether the city is incorporated into Iraq's largely autonomous Kurdistan region. An Iranian official familiar with the plan said Tehran believed Baghdad was already juggling too many divisive political issues, including how to share oil revenues equitably. Kirkuk was seen as one hot potato too many.Iraqi officials said their delegation listened politely to the Iranian suggestion, part of a package of proposals that also urged Baghdad to begin a withdrawal of foreign troops. "We accept the advice, but we refuse to let anyone interfere with Iraq's internal affairs," Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told Reuters from İstanbul. Iran says the plan was put forward to help bring stability to Iraq -- although Washington accuses Tehran of promoting violence and backing Shi'ite militias.
Kirkuk, an ancient city 250 kilometers north of Baghdad, is claimed by ethnic Kurds, Arabs and Turkish-speaking Turkmen. Kurds see it as their historical capital, but Arabs who moved there as part of Saddam Hussein's Arabization plan in the 1970s want to stay under the control of the Baghdad government.
Analysts have warned that the dispute over the city's status could trigger an explosion of violence and possibly draw in neighboring Turkey unless it is carefully handled. The city has witnessed frequent bombings and shootings in recent months.
Under the constitution, the referendum is due to be held by the end of the year, but the government has made no preparations, including holding a census. While everyone agrees it is now too late to hold the referendum by Dec. 31, the government has yet to make an announcement postponing it and setting a new date.
But, asked whether the referendum would be held on time, Dabbagh said: "I don't expect that. Because of the security situation in Kirkuk we have not done a census, which needs to be done before a referendum." Senior Kurdish politician Najat Hasan, from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), said a delay of a month or two was acceptable, but any longer would be a "gross violation of the constitution."
Benzer Haberler 
Diplomacy
