To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with her Iraqi counterpart on the proposed referendum on the future of the Kirkuk; and if she will make a statement. (123956)

I discussed the proposed referendum on the future of Kirkuk during my meeting with Prime Minister Maliki and Foreign Minister Zebari during their visit to the UK in July 2006 and my hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Middle East (Dr. Howells) discussed the proposed referendum during his visit to Kurdish-administered Iraq in July 2006. We continue to raise the prospects for Kirkuk in our meetings with the Iraqi and Kurdish regional governments.