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Baghdad, Irbil agree to calm in Kirkuk

BAGHDAD, Nov 26 (KUNA) -- Iraq's federal government and provincial government of Iraq's Kurdistan region reached an agreement in principle stipulating return of all military forces to their previous locations.
Representatives of the Baghdad government and Iraq's Kurdistan region discussed in their meeting in Baghdad the forces' deployment in Kirkuk, a statement by the commander of Iraqi armed forces said.
Both sides discussed means of defusing tension, and agreed to activate security committees.
The dispute began after Baghdad command formed a new unit and assigned it to deploy in Diyala, Salah Al-Din and Kirkuk, a matter that angered the Kurds who sent the Peshmerga troops to outskirts of Kirkuk.
Parliament speaker Osama Al-Nujaifi carried out a shuttle diplomacy between prime minister Nouri Al-Maliki and president of Iraq's Kurdistan region Masoud Barzani.
Baghdad wants to revive an agreement that was signed in 2009, which states that the security file of Kirkuk is supervised by the federal government. (end) ahh.bs KUNA 262206 Nov 12NNNN