Iraq's Federal Court postpones hearing on disputed Nineveh construction decision

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq's Federal Court has postponed until September 7 the hearing in a case filed by members of parliament against a Nineveh provincial council decision that lifted construction bans in the Kze Fakra and Jilukhan areas north of the provincial capital, Mosul. Himmam al-Suleim, legal adviser to the Nineveh provincial council, said he attended the hearing on behalf of the council president. He said the MPs who brought the case, Ved al-Qaddo and Durid Jamil Isho, requested a postponement to respond to defense submissions from the provincial council and the governor's office. The court granted the request and adjourned the session to allow the legal process to proceed, al-Suleim added. The provincial council had earlier voted to lift construction restrictions on the two areas in the Nineveh Plain and open the land for development. The vote was opposed by local MPs and representatives of various communities, who described the move as an attempt to alter the demographic makeup of the area. No further details were immediately available on the next hearing.