Iraqi Parliament delays decision on Property Restitution Law

Shafaq News/ On Monday, the Iraqi Parliament deferred the decision on the "Property Restitution Law", particularly concerning properties in Kirkuk, to the final session of the week.

Dilan Ghafour, a parliamentarian from Kirkuk, informed Shafaq News Agency that the postponement was "due to the need to review several comments and opinions. The law will be reintroduced for a vote in the last session of the current week after these issues are addressed."

Arshad al-Salihi, another parliamentarian, revealed that "both Turkmen and Kurdish blocs have agreed to postpone the cancellation of the Revolutionary Command Council's decisions related to land until the end of the week to allow for consensus to be reached within the next 72 hours."

Earlier, a source familiar with the matter reported that Hadi al-Amiri, head of the "High Committee for Implementing Article 140 of the Constitution" and leader of the Nabni (we build) Coalition, attended the parliamentary session to discuss the feasibility of passing the "Property Restitution Law."

According to the source, Al-Amiri was present in the parliament from 01:00 p.m. and held a meeting with the acting parliamentary speaker, the second deputy speaker, political bloc leaders, members of the parliamentary committee, and representatives from Kirkuk. Following the meeting, it was agreed that no further details would be disclosed to the media about the discussions and agreements on the law.

An additional meeting took place after 03:30 p.m. in the office of acting speaker Mohsen al-Mandalawi to finalize the agreement on whether to pass the law.

An official statement from the Iraqi Parliament indicated that today's meeting with Al-Amiri reviewed the outcomes of the governmental committee's work and the progress made in implementing Article 140 of the Constitution, in collaboration with relevant ministries and authorities.

The statement quoted Al-Mandalawi emphasizing that Kirkuk's situation holds particular significance in the Property Restitution Law, which pertains to properties affected by certain decisions of the dissolved Revolutionary Command Council. He stressed that the stability of Kirkuk requires continued cooperation among the three branches of government and careful consideration of the sensitive nature of this issue by all political forces.

The Iraqi Parliament was scheduled to vote on the law concerning disputed areas, especially Kirkuk, which involves the restitution of properties affected by the Revolutionary Command Council's decisions. The agenda also included the second reading of proposed amendments to the Personal Status Law and the General Amnesty Law.

Kurdish and Turkmen lawmakers assert that the law pertains to properties to be returned to their original Kurdish and Turkmen owners. These properties were confiscated under eight decisions issued by the dissolved Revolutionary Command Council between 1975 and 1979, which aimed to carry out demographic changes in disputed areas.