Dispute over Iraqi flag

Commenting on the political fallout from Iraqi Kurdistan's president Masood Barzani refusal to fly the Iraqi flag from the region's official buildings, the president of the country Jalal Talabani said that Iraq would get a new flag soon. He added the current flag belongs to the Saddam era during which crimes were committed in the north and south of the country. He said that no decision had yet been taken about the design of the new flag, but his preference was for the one used during the Abdul Karim Qasim era from 1959-1963. Parliament will debate the subject later, said Talabani.