Turkmen in Kirkuk “the most oppressed” under Saddam – President

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iraqi President Jalal Talabani on Friday said that Turkmen in Kirkuk were “the most oppressed” under the former regime’s policies, calling for considering their language “official” at the province’s institutions, according to a presidential release. “Talabani today met in Kirkuk with a number of Turkmen parties’ leaders and representatives,” said the release that was received by IraqiNews.com. “The former regime denied the presence of Turkmen,” the release quoted Talabani as saying. “Talabani stressed the necessity of adopting a balanced approach to distribute state-funded jobs among the different components in Kirkuk,” it added. “Kurdistan’s leadership embraces the policy that supports legal demands of Turkmen,” Talabani noted. MH (P)/AmR 1