ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid on Tuesday ratified the recently-passed bill for Halabja's accession to an Iraqi province. The bill-turned-law now pends publication by the Iraqi Official Gazette to enter into effect.

The presidential ratification comes two weeks after the bill was voted on on April 15 by the parliament. The bill had been added to the parliament’s agenda several times in the past, but had not been voted on due to the opposition of a number of parliamentary blocs, demanding the accession of some other Iraqi district into a province too. 

The bill, of which The New Region was able to obtain a copy, cited that “the material, human, and environmental damage it suffered as a result of the bombing with prohibited chemical weapons by the former regime,” were the key factors in pushing for Halabja's accession to a province.

The bill consists of four articles.

The first article stipulates the establishment of Halabja as the 19th province in Iraq and the current district of Halabja as the center of the province. The second article obliges the Kurdistan Region’s Council of Ministers to establish the administrative borders of the new province.

The third article commits relevant authorities to implement the law, while the fourth article requires the publication of the law in the Iraqi Official Gazette.

Halabja's population of 200,000 now look ahead with renewed hope that the accession would help the city thrive, accelerate its growth, and reflect in Halabja's international standing and the recognition of its 1988 chemical attack.