Kirkuk's Arabs - the fight against federalism

Kirkuk's Arabs - the fight against federalism

We drove some 30 kilometres from Kirkuk's city centre on a road which was once known as the Death Highway. All along it was evidence of roadside bomb attacks.

Our destination was Rachad – an area which just over a year ago was one of the most dangerous in northern Iraq. The Iraqi army and the Awakening Councils are now in control. But this area remains a fault line.

Kirkuk is at the heart of the Arab-Kurdish divide. Rachad is an Arab-populated region in this divided province.

We went to meet members of the Obeid clan, influential tribal elders who are now behind the Arab Political Council which is fielding candidates in Iraq's parliamentary elections.

Many of them boycotted the 2005 poll – that was a mistake they say, it allowed the "Kurds to gain influence and weaken the Arab claim over Kirkuk", Sheikh Abdul Rahman Munshid al-Assi, who founded the Council told me.

For many of Kirkuk's Arabs, it is about federalism – and that is why they intend to turn out in large numbers on election day.

"We don't want to see Iraq divided. We want it united. The Kurds have been pushing for federalism. We want to change the constitution by being a part of the political process," Sheikh al-Assi said.

"Kirkuk is at the heart of the election. The next four years may be the last chance for us to resolve the province's status. Arabs want to take part in governing the province and end the discrimination against Arabs."

Quite a few of the Obeidi clan members we met spent time in US-run jails in Iraq. Like many former detainees, they were accused of terrorism but never charged.

They stress the need for a peaceful resolution to the province's status – but say they are also ready to defend Kirkuk at any cost.

"Kirkuk is a question of our existence ... it is a question of life or death for us," Sheikh Saad told me.

Sunday's election for each ethnic group is about the identity of the province.

The Kurdistan Regional Government wants Kirkuk province to be part of its semi-autonomous region in the north, and when you talk to the Kurds in this area you realise they aren't ready to give it up.

"Kirkuk is Kurdistan," Saman Abdul Salam said. "I am ready to kill and be killed for it."

It's all about numbers. Arabs and Turkmen accuse Kurds of settling thousands to change the demographic make-up. The Kurds say they were the ones forcibly removed by Saddam Hussein.

Sheikh Abdullah Sami al-Assi, a member of the Kirkuk provincial council, said he has hope the outcome of the elections will eventually correct population figures.

"If we have 50 MPs ... we can form a committee. It will be sent to Kirkuk to study the population registry. Those illegally registered should be removed and then provincial council elections held."

The Kurds are likely to win the majority of the province's 12 parliamentary seats. But Arabs here feel the fate of Kirkuk still matters to the majority of Iraq's Sunnis and Shias. And with the right alliances in Baghdad, they will be able to fight federalism in Iraq.