ITF reportedly threatens to withdraw from Iraqiya for unanounced resons

[nathan1606]

ITF reportedly threatens to withdraw from Iraqiya for unanounced resons

Sunday, June 13th 2010 3:28 PM

Dahuk, June 13 (AKnews) - The Iraqi Turcoman Front (ITF) has reportedly threatened to withdraw from the Iraqiya list led by Ayad Allaw, while the official spokesman for the Turkoman Front-Legitmate Leadership said Sunday that the ITF's threats were grounded in undeclared reason rather than those reported in the media.

Elyas Nuri Elyas said Sunday that threats to withdraw from the Iraqiya are grounded in reasons undeclared yet, rather than what has been reported in the media. "The real reason is the exposure of ITF's regional links outside Iraq"

"Iraqiya expelled ITF from the list, there is no withdrawal, as they claim" he said.

Regarding the Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution, which is strongly opposed of by the ITF, Elyas said the article was not only in favor of Kurds, but it is in the interests of Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen together.

He said the ITF does not represent all Turcomans in Iraq, but only Turcomans of Kirkuk, "while we, the Turkmen Front-Legitimate Leadership, represent all Iraqi Turcomans."

Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution outlines a three-stage process to resolving the disputes over areas contested by the Kurdistan Regional Government and the central government in Baghdad.

The process involves a period of normalization – whereby the security environment is stabilized – followed by the restoration of the original demographic balance (which was altered by the former Iraqi regime, often at the expense of indigenous Kurds), and culminating with a referendum, which will enable local people to decide the constitutional status of these areas.

Article 140 is mainly evoked in the case of Kirkuk province, which is the main source of tension between Erbil and Baghdad.

The Turcoman Front-Legitimate Leadership was founded at the end of 2006 in the district of Tala'far, 60 km west of Mosul city. It entered the March 7 Iraqi parliamentary elections within the Kurdistan Alliance list, but its candidate did not win a seat.

http://www.aknews.com/en/aknews/4/154751