From PR-Inside:
BAGHDAD (AP) - Two Shiite lawmakers on Saturday called for a referendum on turning the oil-rich province of Basra in southern Iraq into a mini-state.
The push signals a renewed effort by Shiites to grant regions self-rule in what would be a federalist system of government. Sunnis oppose the idea, fearing it could lead to
the country's eventual break up or isolate them from oil wealth concentrated in mainly Shiite and Kurdish areas.
Sheik Kheir-Allah al-Basri, a Shiite lawmaker from a small secular party, sought to ease such fears on Saturday, arguing that the push for autonomy is not a «secessionist motion.
Read more ....
BAGHDAD (AP) - Two Shiite lawmakers on Saturday called for a referendum on turning the oil-rich province of Basra in southern Iraq into a mini-state.
The push signals a renewed effort by Shiites to grant regions self-rule in what would be a federalist system of government. Sunnis oppose the idea, fearing it could lead to
the country's eventual break up or isolate them from oil wealth concentrated in mainly Shiite and Kurdish areas.
Sheik Kheir-Allah al-Basri, a Shiite lawmaker from a small secular party, sought to ease such fears on Saturday, arguing that the push for autonomy is not a «secessionist motion.
Read more ....