Kurdish delegation heads to Baghdad for talks ahead of vote: Zebari
A delegation from Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region has headed to the capital, Baghdad, for dialog with the central government ahead of a planned secession plebiscite slated for Monday, a senior Kurdish official says.
“The delegation will discuss the referendum but the referendum is still happening,” Hoshiyar Zebari, a top adviser to leader of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Massoud Barzani, told Reuters.
“We said we would talk to Baghdad before, during and after the referendum,” he added.
Earlier in the day, Barzani said the planned referendum will be held next week despite international warnings.
"The referendum is no longer in my hands, nor is it in those of the (political) parties, it is in your hands," he told a crowd of thousands in the regional capital of Erbil on Friday.
The controversial referendum on independence from the mainland is to take place on September 25.
Baghdad has condemned the plebiscite as unconstitutional, repeatedly calling on the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to suspend the vote, which is planned to be held in three provinces that make up their region, as well as in disputed areas that are controlled by Kurdish forces but claimed by Baghdad, including the oil-rich Kirkuk province.
"We say that we are ready for serious open-minded dialogue with Baghdad, but after September 25, because now it is too late," Barzani said.
He said the fight against the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group in partnership with the Iraqi military would "continue" despite the referendum.
The remarks come a day after the UN Security Council warned that the referendum was potentially “destabilizing” and threatened the ongoing war against Daesh.
Turkey says referendum 'illegitimate'
Meanwhile, Turkey's National Security Council (MGK) condemned the referendum as "illegitimate" and "unacceptable."
"The illegitimate and unacceptable nature of the referendum ... has been specified once again," the MGK said in a statement on Friday after a meeting chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
It also warned that Turkey was ready to use its "rights" in accordance with international agreements.
The United Nations and the United States as well as regional powers such as Iran and Turkey have expressed concern about the vote, arguing that it could create further instability in the already volatile region.
The Israeli regime, however, has come out in apparent support of the controversial referendum.
Iraqi fighters conduct fresh retaliatory attacks on vital Israeli targets
Arab League affirms support for Iraq amid Israel's threats of military action
Iraq sends letters to regional, intl. organizations over Israeli threats
Embassy in Tehran flagged for excessive electricity usage
12 killed as Israel strikes Lebanon’s historic city of Tyre
Israel used US weapons in ‘deliberate’ strike on journalists in Lebanon: Report
#BribedByAIPAC: US lawmakers on Zionist lobby payroll irked by ICC arrest warrants
From cradle to chaos: My infant son’s journey through war and displacement
Lebanon condemns Israeli attack on UN peacekeepers
‘Everyone here is at risk’: Injured Kamal Adwan Hospital director’s poignant message
VIDEO | 'We will rebuild a thousand times’
PressTV NEWSLETTER
now
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
