§ Bob SpinkTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Kurdish independence within a federal Iraq following the publication of the draft interim national constitution. [158554]
§ Mr. RammellThe long term political structure of Iraq will be determined by the Transitional National Assembly due to be elected by January 2005. However, the Transitional Administrative Law recognises the administrative and legislative functions of the Kurdistan Regional Government, which is recognised as the official regional government of those territories that were administered by that Government as of 19 March 2003.
Functions performed by the Kurdistan Regional Government shall continue to be exercised throughout the transitional period, except over those issues which fall within the exclusive competence of the central federal government as specified in the Transitional Administrative Law.