Thread: Article 140

Article 140 and the Future of Iraq

On May the 9th, the Washington Kurdish Institute held a seminar entitled Article 140 and the Future of Iraq in participatrion of many Kurdish and US figures.

Speakers at the conference, including Dr. Najmaldin Karim, President of WKI, Qubad Talabani , the Representative of KRG in Washington , the KRG Minister for Exrta Regonal Affaires,and other Kurdish figures inUS, discussed all dimensions of Article 140 and its implementation . They also discused anicient and modern history of Kirkuk through presenting many scientific and documentary discourses.

Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution mandates a process of normalization and referendum for disputed territories, although it continues to be a vexing issue which needs to be addressed. The most significant of these disputed territories is the governorate and city of Kirkuk, which suffered ethnic cleansing and expulsion by the Baathist regime of Saddam Hussein. Makhmur, Sinjar, Khanaqeen and other areas of rural Kurdistan also fall under the jurisdiction of Article 140.

The future of Iraq depends on Article 140 and its aim of using a democratic and constitutional framework to address problems that are long overdue for resolution. The Iraqi government failed to meet the 2007 deadline for Kirkuk specified by Article 140, which includes full normalization and a referendum on unifying with the Kurdistan Regional Government. A six-month extension was granted to fulfill this constitutional obligation.

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