Topic: Iraq will have a new flag

Media: AFP
Byline: N/A
Date: 05 September 2006

BAGHDAD, Sept 5, 2006 (AFP) - Iraq's President Jalal Talabani vowed Tuesday
that Iraq would soon get a new national flag, amid a fierce dispute between
Kurds and Arabs over the current banner.

"It's a Saddamist flag," Talabani said, standing before the red, white,
black and green flag used under ousted leader Saddam Hussein's regime at a
joint press conference with British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett.

"A lot of crimes have been committed under this flag in the south, in the
north and against our neighbours," he said, referring to Saddam's
represssion of Kurds and Shiite Arabs and his invasions of Iran and Kuwait.

"Iraq will have a new flag and the national assembly wwill discuss the new
flag," he said, speaking on the same day as Iraqi lawmakers returned to
parliament after a month-long recess.

Talabani said no decision had been made on the design of a new national flag
but that he personally favoured the banner used under between 1959 and 1963
under the republic which succeeded the former monarchy.

Controversy rerupted over the continuing use of the Saddam-era flag last
week, when the president of the autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq,
Massud Barzani, banned it from his area.

Sunni Arabs reacted with fury, accusing Barzani of insulting the nation and
fanning the flames of separatism.

Sunni Arab politician Saleh al-Mutlak struck back on Tuesday against Kurdish
justifications for not flying the national flag, calling it a violation of
the "sanctity of the Iraqi constitution".

"We regret that some politicians have kept silent about this issue, which is
one of the biggest violations of the sancity of the Iraqi constitution,"
Mutlak said at the headquarters of his National Dialogue Front Party.

"This is also a message for the president to keep his word because when we
elected him he recited his oath with the Iraqi flag behind him and swore to
protect the sovereignty of Iraq," he added.