Iraqi Turkmen Front refuses talks with Kirkuk government pending court ruling
Shafaq News/ On Wednesday, a senior party official said that The Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITF) in Kirkuk will not participate in discussions with the local government or Kirkuk's Provincial Council until a Federal Court ruling on the government's formation.
In a statement to Shafaq News Agency, Qahtan Al-wandawi, head of the Turkmen Front in Kirkuk, said, "The Turkmen Front will not engage in any meeting or dialogue with the Kirkuk administration and Provincial Council because they were formed illegally, marginalizing the Turkmen community during the session at the Rashid Hotel."
He added, "We have filed a complaint with the Federal Court and await its decision on the legality and legitimacy of the current administration and council… The Turkmen Front has received no invitation or official letter from the provincial administration. The Turkmen are too dignified to be invited to talks through the media; our position on these matters is clear."
He underscored that "the Turkmen are a fundamental and principal component of Kirkuk. Anyone who thinks they can marginalize us is mistaken. Any agreement that does not include the Turkmen is destined to fail."
On Monday, Kirkuk Governor Rebwar Taha urged the Turkmen Front, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), and some Arab factions to end their boycott of Provincial Council sessions and join the council and its government.
Speaking at a press conference, Taha said, "The boycotting blocs, including some Arab factions, the Turkmen Front, and the Kurdistan Democratic Party, should return and participate in managing the province. The government cabinet meets all legal requirements, and our administration is elected. Dialogue and ending the boycott are the best options for the benefit of Kirkuk and its communities."
Mohammed Ibrahim Hafiz, the chairman of Kirkuk's Provincial Council, also called on the Turkmen Front and the KDP to submit their candidates for administrative positions and end their boycott, stating that he would send an official letter inviting the Turkmen Front to dialogue.
Raad Saleh, an Arab member of the Provincial Council, revealed that the political agreement among the blocs stipulates that the Turkmen will assume the position of governor after the Kurds.
"The political agreement under which the Kirkuk administration was formed provides that the governor's position will go to the Turkmen after Rebwar Ahmed Taha's term ends," Saleh told Shafaq News.
He added, "Today, the council's presidency, with nine members present, held a meeting and invited the boycotting members to return to the dialogue table and attend the Provincial Council sessions, as dialogue and agreement will safeguard the rights of all communities, including the Turkmen."
Saleh confirmed that the agreement on Kirkuk's governorship was made under a tri-rotation system, where the Kurds hold the governor's position first, followed by the Turkmen for a set period, and then the Arabs, ensuring all blocs within the Provincial Council participate in the province's administration.
Meanwhile, a source in Nineveh Governorate disclosed late Wednesday that the Iraqi Turkmen Front has been obstructing the Nineveh Provincial Council's sessions due to its marginalization in Kirkuk, announcing its boycott of the council's sessions.
"The Turkmen Front in Nineveh has declared its boycott of Nineveh's Provincial Council sessions, disrupting the council's meetings, particularly the last two sessions, where a quorum could not be achieved," the source told Shafaq News.
The Nineveh Provincial Council, specifically the Nineveh Future Alliance (which holds 16 out of 29 seats), failed to reach a quorum in its last two sessions due to the boycott by the Nineveh United Alliance (with 9 seats) and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (with 4 seats).
However, the source added, "The boycott by the Turkmen Front, which holds a single seat, broke the council's quorum in the last two sessions as a protest against the marginalization of the Turkmen Front in forming the local government in Kirkuk, as well as its marginalization in Nineveh regarding the distribution of positions."
