ANKARA - Interim Constitution adopted in Iraq failed to represent the groups in the country and not only Turkmens, but also many groups in the country felt uneasy over the constitution, Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITC) Ankara Representative Ahmet Muratli said on Tuesday.
Muratli told A.A that all the groups had reservations on the constitution.
Complaining that their proposal to accept Turkmen language as the official language in Turkmeneli was rejected, Muratli said they wanted Turkmens to be accepted as fundamental elements as well as Arabs and Kurds.
Muratli said it was clear that the constitution failed to include cultural and political rights of Turkmens, stressing that Arabic language and Kurdish language were accepted as official languages and that Turkmens were with Arabs in several regions and with Kurds in some regions. He added that there were Arabs and Kurds in their region as well and the official language was Arabic and Kurdish. Muratli said this created confusion for the Turkmens that they could not decide which language they would chose officially.
Muratli said Turkey was the first state pointing out that the constitution was not right, noting that they many times conveyed demands and initiatives of Turkmens to Turkish Foreign Ministry authorities. He said that the constitution would not unit Iraq, but incite ethnical and sect discrimination.
Muratli said they would continue to express their wishes through democratic ways.
(AY-AÖ) 23.03.2004