Bombs kill at least 80 in Kirkuk -Iraq police

Future of Kirkuk

The policies of Kurdification by KDP and PUK after 2003 (with non-Kurds being pressured to move) have prompted serious inter-ethnic problems.<26> Arabs and Turkmens feel that the Kurds only want Kirkuk for its oil and do not really have a special interest in the city itself. These groups are largely united against Kurdish claims over the city.

On January 26, 2004, the Los Angeles Times quoted Barham Salih, Prime Minister for the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, one of two main political parties controlling the Kurdish Autonomous Region in northern Iraq. Kirkuk is a benchmark by which most Kurds would define their legitimacy in Iraq, he said. "We have a claim to Kirkuk rooted in history, geography and demographics. This is a recipe for civil war if you don't do it right".<27>

According to the Kurds, the conquerors of Kurdistan have tried to destroy the numerous Kurdish emirates one after the other. Apart from their historical claim for Kirkuk, the Kurds invoke Article 58 of the Administration for the state of Iraq for the transitional period, also known as Administrative Law of March 8, 2004 which is considered the interim constitution of Iraq by the now-dissolved Iraqi Governing Council. Article 58 states in part: The Iraqi Transitional Government shall act expeditious measures to remedy the injustice caused by the previous regime's practice in the demographic character of certain regions, including Kirkuk, by deporting and expelling them from their place of residence and forcing migration in and out of the region.<28>

A referendum on whether Kirkuk province should become part of Iraqi Kurdistan will be held on 2007-11-15.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirkuk#Future_of_Kirkuk