Kirkuk status referendum

Article 140 required that before the referendum, measures had to be taken to reverse the Arabization policy employed by the Saddam Hussein administration during the Al-Anfal Campaign.

The TAL included specific clauses providing for the return of and compensation for forced migrants and for the "resolution of disputed territories including Kirkuk" through arbitration: In 2005, a permanent Constitution was approved which referred back to the TAL and set a deadline of the end of 2007 for completion: In late 2007, the U.N. Special Representative for Iraq negotiated an extension of the deadline for six months.

However, the federal parliament decided to refer the matter to the Constitutional Court to rule whether the article was now expired or how it should be implemented.

In April 2007, Turkish intelligence sources claimed that Kurdistan President Barzani had "offered bribes to various Iraqi officials" involved in the Commission, including $500,000 to al-Shibli.

[12] In February 2007, the Commission adopted a controversial plan, which gave Sunni Arabs $15,000 to relocate back to their towns of origin, plus a plot of land in their new home.

Disputed areas in Iraq according to Article 140:
Disputed and part of the Kurdish Regional Government since 1991.
Disputed and in part under the control of central government, although this area has diminished since the events of 2014.