Iraqi Kurds will not accept being treated as "second-class citizens" in Iraq's new government, Massoud Barzani, head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, said in an interview. The Kurds, who number some five million out of a total Iraqi population of 25 million, will have to enjoy "responsibility in sensitive ministries that represent the country internationally as well as in the internal security forces," he said.
| As far as I'm concerned, they can turn the whole country over to the Kurds... |
Iraq's 25-member transitory governing council, the country's first executive body formed since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime, will hold its inaugural session Sunday in Baghdad, a UN official said. The council is expected to have responsibility for appointing or sacking ministers and diplomats, approving a budget and appointing abody of up to 10 members to draw up a draft constitution. |