Iraq’s Turkoman Front demands Kurdish Peshmerga forces withdrawal from Kirkuk:

KIRKUK / IraqiNews.com: The Iraqi Turkoman Front has demanded on Tuesday the withdrawal of the Kurdish Peshmerga forces from the city, considering their presence in the city as “illegal and unconstitutional.” “The spread of the Peshmerga elements in Kirkuk is illegal and stands counter to the constitution, which allows such spread of those elements in the three provinces of (north Iraq’s) Kurdistan Region only,” a Front’s statement said, adding that “the Kurdish side had informed the Front with this position, during the Kurdish Peshmerga Minister’s visit to the Front.”   The statement, copy of which was received by IraqiNews.com news agency, pointed out that the Front’s leadership “does not accept the presence of the Peshmerga forces in Kirkuk , and we shall continue demanding their withdrawal from the city.”   “We have informed the Kurdish side that the presence of the Peshmerga forces in Kirkuk was causing a lot of problems and had become a source for the loss of trust towards them,” the statement said.   Arab and Turkoman Members in Kirkuk’s Provincial Council, had informed IraqiNews.com few days ago that “the Peshmerga forces have entered in Kirkuk, in response to an Iraqi government’s demand, as part of its fear that armed groups might enter the Province,” thing that was denied by the Peshmerga Minister in Kurdistan Region’s government, Sheikh Jaafar Sheikh Mustapha.   Meanwhile, the Vice-Chairman of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), Nichervan Barzani, had stated that the Peshmerga forces, stationed outside Kirkuk , “were defending the components of the city,” pointing out that their presence had been decided in coordination with the Iraqi government.   In conclusion, the Iraqi Turkoman Front reiterated “necessity for the withdrawal of the (Peshmerga) elements from Kirkuk , and to lean to talks and consultations to settle all issues, based on laws and legal documents, being an initial step to achieve stability in Kirkuk and the whole country of Iraq .”   FT / SKH   579