Iraq: Headway Made In Talks Over Contested Northern Boundaries -- UN Mission
New York, Oct 18 2009 12:10PM Talks on disputed internal Iraqi boundaries -- in the oil-rich, ethnically mixed north --
have made progress on measures to address concerns of local residents, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq
(UNAMI) announced today.
Senior representatives of the Iraqi Government and the Kurdistan Regional Government met recently to address the needs
of the people living in the areas being considered by the Task Force on Dialogue for follow-up to the UNAMI reports on
the demarcations.
UNAMI submitted a report to Iraqi authorities in April for each of the more than one dozen disputed districts.
The mission says the reports are analytical, not prescriptive, and include a discussion paper on the future of the
Kirkuk governorate, which proposes four options -- all of which treat the governorate as a single entity -- based on the
Iraqi Constitution and req uiring a political agreement among the parties, as well as some form of referendum.
During recent discussions, both sides underscored the importance of maintaining the unity of the people of Iraq and the
integrity of its territories, including identifying ways to resolve outstanding land and property disputes resulting
from activities before and after the US-led invasion of 2003, as well as to guarantee the right of all Iraqis for the
education of their children in their mother tongue.
The Task Force also recognized the importance of ensuring transparent detention practices, transferring detainees to the
governorates they originated from, and immediately investigating the status of missing persons.
"Dialogue between the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region remains critical for the stability of the country and
for addressing numerous outstanding issues that are central to its functioning," said the Secretary-General's Special
Representative for Iraq Ad Melkert.
"The United Nations is committed to supporting dialogue among Iraqis, including through development and humanitarian
support in these important areas, and remains encouraged by the positive discussions taking place," added Mr. Melkert,
who also heads UNAMI.
ENDS