Iraqi Deal Allows Provincial Elections Now, Kirkuk Settlement Later

A stalemate that prevented provincial elections in Iraq from being held was broken when parliament passed a law that would sidetrack the issue of control of the city of Kirkuk and three other provinces.  The compromise will allow elections to proceed elsewhere, and in Kirkuk only after an agreement has been reached there at a later date. The law now goes before the nation’s three-man presidency for approval. Control of Kirkuk is sought by Kurds based on the city’s Kurdish majority even though it lies outside of its territory. Ethnic Arabs and Turkmen want the nation’s central government to control Kirkuk. A previous law was rejected by the presidential triumvirate.