U.N. pushes issues in Kirkuk

February 11, 2010 · Posted in NEWS
Published: Feb. 11, 2010 at 3:20 PM

KIRKUK, Iraq, Feb. 11 (UPI) — U.N. officials involved in settling Iraqi disputes over the ethnically diverse city of Kirkuk advocated property issues in the latest round of negotiations.

A high-level task force involved in Kirkuk negotiations with the U.N. Assistance Mission in Iraq called for the “very encouraging and important” step of vacating schools and land occupied by political parties because of the shortage of schools in the area, the United Nations said.

Differences over Kirkuk and the so-called disputed territories in
Iraq are among the more contentious issues troubling U.S. policymakers.

Kirkuk lies at the center of Arab-Kurdish tensions in Iraq over the so-called disputed territories, which run along a de facto border from Sinjar near the western border with Syria to Khanaqin near Iran.

Jurisdictional disputes over Khanaqin nearly led to conflict between Iraqi and Kurdish forces in August 2008, and resolving regional tensions in the north of the country remains a top concern for many.

UNAMI said October talks on disputed internal boundaries made progress in terms of concerns expressed by local residents.

Negotiations centered on ways to resolve land and property issues in the disputed territories and considerations for native languages.

Analysts describe tensions between the KRG and Baghdad as a potential security concern as U.S. forces prepare to wrap up their mission in Iraq.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2010/02/11/UN-pushes-issues-in-Kirkuk/UPI-42691265919636/