Denounces voting for raising Kurdish flag on Iraqi buildings

The head of the Iraqi Turkmen Front, Arshad Al-Salhi, expressed his regret for the situation of Kirkuk governorate, after voting of the provincial council to raise the flag of Kurdistan over the buildings and facilities of the province.

Al-Salhi said, in an exclusive interview with Arabs Today, We talked with the governor more than once about dismissing such decisions that threaten the community peace in the province, which includes the various Iraqi components, adding that the governor insists on his decisions without hearing the rest of the components.

Al-Salhi expressed his fear of clashes that may amount to quarrels and disputes between the people of the city, where there are youth gatherings carried out by a number of young people of the Kurdish component, and they carry weapons and try to support the students in the university, which led to turning the universities and institutes to partisan groupings, and moved away from the scientific message.

He revealed the presence of weapons in the province by elements follow the governor, as well as many of the manifestations and practices that lead to the destabilization of security, adding that the governor bears responsibility of the this sedition as well as the provincial council, who raised this issue.

Salhi stressed that the Turkmen component is waiting for a firm stance from the Council of Ministers and the Iraqi Parliament to end the situation, especially after the escalation of statements from the sons of the Turkmen component and even the Arab component, which announced their rejection and expressed their concern about that step.

He pointed out that it is not the province's power to vote on this decision, which concerns the validity of the federal government, because lifting a flag other than the Iraqi flag in an area under the authority of the federal government needs a decision of the Council of Ministers and the House of Representatives.

"The Iraqi Turkmen Front, the official representative of the Turkmen component, will file a complaint to the Federal Supreme Court on the crisis to consider this controversial decision and to demand to cancel it in order to preserve civil and community peace,"Al-Salhi  stated.

He revealed that Turkmen front will take steps on the crisis, including the presence of large gatherings to express our rejection of the move of the provincial council, and raising Turkmen flags alongside Iraqi flags, as well as our direction to the legal methods and the Federal Court.

The Kirkuk provincial council voted Tuesday to raise the flags of Kurdistan over government buildings in the province. The Arab and Turkmen members boycotted the voting process, while 26 of the members voted out of 40 members.

The reactions of the Iraqi political and popular powers varied on the subject, which some considered as a provocation to the components of the city, while others considered it a legal right of the Kurdish component.