Shafaq News- Khanaqin

Kurdish parties in Khanaqin district of Diyala province on Monday backed a temporary suspension of mass protests pending talks in Baghdad, and called for the immediate release of detainees and the cancellation of arrest warrants issued against politicians, activists and young protesters.

In a joint statement, the parties said organizers suspended the demonstrations because security arrangements were insufficient to guarantee participants’ safety.

A delegation representing Khanaqin is expected to travel to Baghdad for meetings with the Iraqi president and other senior officials to present residents’ demands and seek solutions.

The parties said protests involving residents of Khanaqin, Jalawla, Saadiya, Mandali, Qara Tapa and Jabara had sought to defend the areas’ “Kurdish identity and constitutional rights.” They accused federal authorities of “violating” Article 140 of Iraq’s Constitution.

Article 140 provides for normalization, a census and a referendum to determine the status of territories disputed between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Region. The process was due to be completed by the end of 2007 but remains unresolved. Khanaqin and several surrounding areas in Diyala fall within that dispute.

The parties urged Iraq’s senior state leaders and Kurdish representatives in Baghdad to respond to the residents’ demands through constitutional and legal channels.

They also called for the release of people detained over the protests and for arrest warrants against political figures, activists and young participants to be withdrawn, arguing that their activities constituted peaceful expression of constitutional demands.

Organizers asked residents to respect the temporary suspension until the delegation completes its meetings in Baghdad.

The dispute over Khanaqin intensified earlier this year after federal authorities upgraded Jalawla and Qara Tapa to district status and detached Saadiya from Khanaqin, prompting Kurdish parties and local activists to argue that administrative changes in Article 140 territories should not proceed without agreement between Baghdad and Erbil.