Basra to demand turning into region
Basra - 05-09-2010
The Basra provincial council will activate demands to turn the oil-rich city into a region after the Iraqi government is formed, according to the council’s information chief on Sunday. “One-third of the provincial council had in the past presented a request to Iraq’s High Electoral Commission (IHEC) to launch a referendum over turning the city into a region but the request was frozen due to the delayed formation of a new Iraqi government,” Hashim Leibi said. Judge Wa’il Abdullatif, a member of the Iraqi parliament, had announced in early 2009 the failure of a project to turn Basra into a region after failing to obtain the 10% of votes needed.
The port-city of Basra, Iraq’s only outlet to waterways, lies 590 km south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.
Agencies
