Battle Over Oil-Rich Kirkuk Threatens To Derail Iraq Elections

Despite intense U.S. pressure, Iraqi legislators Sunday failed to reach an agreement to solve an increasingly bitter dispute over the oil-rich northern city of Kirkuk.

Kirkuk sits on Iraq's northern oil fields and also on a fault line between the Sunni Muslim Kurds who dominate most of northern Iraq and the Sunni Arabs who occupy the center of the country. Saddam Hussein forced thousands of Kurds out of the city to make way for more Arabs, but since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, the Kurds and their militia, the peshmerga, have driven many Sunni Arabs out of Kirkuk.

The parliament's inability to resolve the dispute over the city mirrors Iraqi political leaders' inability to make progress on other fronts, including constitutional amendments and the passage of a law governing the distribution of the country's oil revenues, despite the recent improvements in security.

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Comments

[Meatball1]

Danoj,

These people, they hate it when we say that. (It makes me giggle every time I type it) Hate America no matter what we do! They are hell bent on making Our Great Nation into a socialist country like Switzerland. That way, they don't have to worry about self preservation (getting a job). Also, they would not have to worry about worldwide opinions. We would be just as poor and unable to help the world as switzerland is. We would just stand on the sidlines with no moral values and no pride. We would just let whoever wanted to benefit from our nuetrality, slaughter whoever they wanted. After it happens, they would say, " It had nothing to do with us!". "We were nuetral"!

Banks in our country would be full of cash from warmongers and we would take care of our citizens with the interest.

Hippies are so peaceful!

http://www.djgoski.com

Enough is Enough! It's time that "These People Are Called Out" Some are just brainwashed by professors, some are just stupid and some have an agenda. I am not a political guy, but the America hating has gotten out of control lately. Especially here.

http://www.djgoski.com Please send your hate mail on our contact us page, or you can email me directly at [e-mail]

We love the attention!

[AmandaBC]

Most Americans think Al-Maliki was actually elected PM by the Iraqi people. This is what the Bu$h crime family and its propaganda arm --the MSM-- want you to believe.

Here's the facts:

In the December 2005 parliamentary elections, the United Iraqi Alliance won the plurality of seats, and nominated Ibrahim al-Jaafari to be Iraq's first full-term post-war prime minister. However, by April 2006, it became evident that interim Prime Minister al-Jaafari, who was criticized for having led an ineffective and sectarian government, could win neither Kurdish nor Sunni support in parliament. In a compromise, al-Jaafari was then removed as the candidate, and on April 22, 2006, al-Maliki was named prime minister-designate by President Jalal Talabani.

Bait'n'switch democracy?

[grn1]

Operation Shekinah, with its focus on a planned oil pipeline from Kirkuk to Haifa, was and remains a classic of political analsysis. Alot more profitable than the west bank.

[grn1]

Shekinah=Shock and Awe

[JAB20]

Really the surge hasn't worked. Once we're gone those factions will destroy each other fighting over oil. It has always been about oil, hasn't it?

[danoj]

That's why one of the finest generals of out time, Gan. David Patreous, said the surge has worked, but it's tenuous. And yes, the Iraqis need to find a fair way to share oil revenues. Under Sadam the smallest sect of the population got the lions share of the oil, now they are trying to work out a fair way for all to share. Other than our continued presence I don't know what the knock is against there gov. They seem to get as much done as ours, and may be less corrupt.

[Kalima]

Give me your oil and I will grant you peace, momentarily. Methinks there is a cog in the
wheel. Vote!

[StillAmused]

To make matters worse, in addition to the Kurd and Arab forces, mercenary troops are lined up on the border, ready to protect the interests of that other indigenous sect: Big Oil.

[researcher]

welcome to america

land of deregulated capitalism

reagan's genius

down hill ever since

now we borrow from communists, socialists and kings to make it work

end result: bye bye middle class

hello corp and media fascism

remember americans the surge is working

like it worked in vietnam

killed one million vietnamese to try and win that illegal war

we will kill one million iraqis to win this war for oil

it is american as apple pie

[danoj]

Yup, and politicians micro-managed that war, and that was the problem. Should have let the generals fight it instead of DC; would have turned out better. Then they decide to withdraw and 3 mil are slaughtered, same thing in Iraq if we bail. Then what do we do?

[Meatball1]

Nice Researcher,

Research this. First, there is no such thing as deregulated capitalism. Capitalism is capitalism. You should support this like you support evolution.

Second, American was doing great under Jimmy Carter? The researcher should look into this a little bit more and consider how well we did after Jimmy was gone!

Third, we don't borrow from your friends (communists, socialists and kings), we are held hostage by them because people of you ilk are in charge of our congress right now and we cannot tap our own resources.

Fourth, the middle class is what you hate! I am middle class and I hear nothing from your ilk but that I should pay more taxes, driving me into lower class status. (Gas Tax, higher income tax, highter property taxes so that our public schools can waste more money, light rail to nowhere, etc)

Vietnam? Are you kidding me? You are the reason we left Vietnam! B.S. political pressure from
hippies like you! What happened when we left jerk! "Does the 'Killing Feilds' ring a bell?

I hope you will and you probably will choke on an apple pie!

http://www.djgoski.com

[holeybuybull]

Meatpuppet1, try to get your facts straight. The "killing fields" were in Cambodia, not Viet Nam. Did you suffer a head wound in that illegal war, or do you come by your fascist tendencies naturally?

[darthdarcy]

There are times when you just have to let people hell bent on bloodshed and slaughter to fight it out until they grow sick of the waste and stupidity of it all...or one side clearly prevails..

That's what finally happened in Northern Ireland they just got sick of the dying and the killing...

[danoj]

Or maybe Dems are spineless cowards afraid to fight. Freedom is just a word to Dems; they think freedom is won by people sitting and talking. What they can't wrap there little socialist nevil chamberlin brains around is freedom is won at the tip of a sword. You beat the enemy until he can no longer fight back, then you negotiate. America is a good country, we beat communism and facsism; we didn't stay in those countries. We helped rebuild them and moved on. Same is true in Iraq, we will destroy those uncomitted to peace and democracy, rebuild the place, and move on.

[holeybuybull]

danoj, dickie perle, is that you?

[henrydavidthrow]

Iraqi politicians should hold their elections in the US. That way they'd be assured of 'fair and democratic' ones.

[Podewumun]

ROFL! Wonderful satire! A+

[vippy]

I thought the goals were met and we won the war. So the surge was not working!

[helonias]

Troubles over oil

Whoda thunkit