Issue of disputed territories in Iraq again coming to fore under current government

IRAQ — Article 140 of the Constitution of Iraq has once again returned to the fore of Iraqi politics through a proposal by the State Administration Coalition, in the presence of Prime Minister Muhammad Shia’ al-Sudani, Speaker of Parliament Muhammad al-Halbousi, and secretary-general of the Islamic Dawa Party and former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki.

Article 140 concerns the disputed regions in Kerkeslokh (Kirkuk), Diyala, Nineveh, and Salah al-Din and popular referendums on their status.

At the house of former President of Iraq Jalal Talabani, the State Administration Coalition met to discuss the issue of the disputed territories. It was decided to activate Article 140, provided that a committee is formed for the same purpose to carry out its duties. within a period of 10 days.

Former MP Joseph Sliwa (Beth Nahrin Patriotic Union, HBA) described Article 140 as a bomb waiting to explode and stated that the Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian people will not acquiesce in the conflicts surrounding the status of their homeland. He called for the preservation of the specificity of Nineveh in terms of geography and history, saying any changes made under Article 140 would likely put the Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian people under the rule of groups with sectarian and racist mindsets which would accelerate their displacement and emigration.