IRAQ - Mar 2 - Kirkuk Ethnic Tensions.

Turkmen leaders call for international help in keeping the peace in Kirkuk, where ethnic tensions between Kurds and Turkmens have flared in recent days. (Both Turkmens and Kurds feel Kirkuk should rightfully be theirs. Under Saddam Hussein, both communities were driven away, forcibly replaced by Arabs in an attempt to exclude non-Arabs from controlling oil wealth. But in recent months, many Kurds and Turkmens have started to return. Both communities are trying to shore up their influence in the area and tensions have been rising. The Kirkuk branch of the Iraqi Turkmen Front was attacked on Feb. 29 by scores of Kurds, who vandalised computers and furniture. Protesters rampaged through the building, breaking glass and scattering paper. Police extended a short nightly curfew, telling people to stay at home from 6pm to 5 am, as minor violence broke out across the city. Kurds ripped apart Turkmen and Iraqi flags and vandalised shops owned by Turkmens. Local leaders say they fear that, if unchecked, the situation could get out of control).