A politician's petition is seeking the necessary number of signatures to trigger a vote.
IRAQIS IN Basra province are today set to begin signing a petition calling for a referendum on autonomy.
The aim of the 30-day drive will be to collect the signatures of the 10 per cent of the province's 1.4 million voters necessary for holding a referendum.
Independent lawmaker Wael Abdel Latif, who initiated the petition, drew a distinction between the autonomy he was seeking and the self-rule enjoyed by the Kurds in three northern provinces.
"We are simply asking to be remunerated for the oil installations on our territory and to have a share of the profits of the oil exports which pass through our ports."
The province accounts for 1.8 million barrels a day from Iraq's overall production of 2.5 million barrels and Basra port is the sole maritime outlet for exports.
While the Kurds have concluded contracts with foreign oil companies for oil exploration and development, Abdel Latif said that in the case of his proposal, "oil contracts will be the responsibility of the federal state and not the Basra region".
The petition is certain to stoke tensions among Shia factions vying for power in Basra ahead of January's provincial elections.
Abdel Latif has the support of the Fadhila Party, which holds power in the province. Fadhila is a breakaway faction of the movement led by dissident cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who insists on a strong central government, as does the Dawa Party of prime minister Nuri al-Maliki. The Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council favours a super-Shia autonomous region comprising nine southern provinces but has not expressed a view about the petition.
Reportedly angry over the hand-over by British forces of Basra to Fadhila, Mr Maliki is said to be stalling an agreement with London defining the legal status of its 4,000 troops remaining in Iraq beyond this month's expiry of the UN mandate. Although British troops are to begin withdrawal in March, a legal framework must be agreed to regularise their presence.
Mr Maliki though may have another reason for procrastinating. Late last month, the Iraqi cabinet and parliament approved a status of forces agreement (Sofa) providing for the extension of US forces until the end of 2011.
However, US officials have stated that some US soldiers would stay on in Iraq's cities. On Saturday, US commander Gen Raymond Odierno said that thousands of US troops would remain in security stations in cities beyond the June 30th deadline.
"It's important that we maintain enough presence here that we can help them [the Iraqis] get through this year of transition," he said.
However, such comments seem to have made Iraqis suspect that Washington has no intention of abiding by the Sofa, negotiated over 11 months.