Iraqi Minister of Justice Xalid Shiwani spoke about why they have not been able to elect a Kurdish governor in Kirkuk. "As Kurds, - he said - we have gained the majority in Kirkuk, which allows us to elect a Kurdish governor. However, the KDP prevented this. If the Kurds had appointed a governor in Kirkuk, arabization policies in the city could have been prevented by 50 percent."

Stating that the Kurdish people are only defending themselves now, Xalid Shiwani added that the people of Kirkuk are paying the price for political mistakes.

The first meeting of the Kirkuk Provincial General Assembly will be held tomorrow, Thursday, at 1pm in the Kirkuk parliament building to determine the administrative authorities of the city of Kirkuk.