The president of the Kurdish region of northern Iraq has asked his parliament to prepare for a referendum on independence, potentially paving the way for the break-up of the country.
Masoud Barzani, president of the Kurdistan Regional Government, called on parliament on Thursday to form an independent electoral commission that would start organising a referendum on independence for the semi-autonomous region.
"It will strengthen our position and will be a powerful weapon in our hands," he said.
Al Jazeera's Jamal Elshayyal, reporting from the regional capital Erbil, said the move was in line with the Kurds' march for self-determination.
Barzani's latest call is expected to anger Nouri al-Maliki, Iraq's prime minister, who is struggling to keep a grip on the country.
On Friday, Barzani issued a defiant statement to Baghdad that there was no going back on autonomous Kurdish rule in the oil city of Kirkuk.
The US has urged Barzani to stick with Baghdad, though Barzani said during a meeting last month with John Kerry, US secretary of state, that it was "very difficult" to imagine Iraq staying together.
The Kurdish region has long been at odds with Iraq's federal government on numerous issues, especially over what Kurdish politicians say are delayed and insufficient budget payments to the region.
But the issue is significantly complicated by the Kurds' control of Kirkuk and a chunk of other northern territory that they want to absorb, over the Maliki government's strong objections.
Speaking on Wednesday, Maliki accused the Kurds of "exploiting current events in order to impose a reality" and called the latest moves unacceptable.
Though calls for a referendum on independence are not new - Kurds strongly backed independence in a 2005 non-binding vote - the drastic change in the situation on the ground means the Kurds now see a fully sovereign state as within their grasp.................http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/07/iraq-kurds-call-independence-referendum-201473125010428418.html
3/7/14
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Independent Kurdish state not reason for war anymore, says AKP spokesperson Çelik
Iraq's Kurds plan Kirkuk status referendum
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Saudi king, Obama call for Iraq unity govt...
ReplyDeleteSaudi Arabia’s King Abdullah and U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday reaffirmed the need for Iraq’s leaders to form a unity government amid the violence in the country.
In a telephone call, the leaders discussed the threats facing Iraq after militants belonging to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria group (ISIS) seized large parts of the country, according to a White House statement.
The meeting comes three days after ISIS declared a "caliphate" encompassing the entire Muslim world.
President Obama and the Saudi king Abdullah stressed on the importance of forming a new government that unites all of “Iraq’s diverse communities.”
The U.S. president also thanked the Saudi king for his $500 million pledge to help Iraqis displaced by the upsurge in violence.
“The president thanked the king for Saudi Arabia’s pledge of $500 million dollars to help alleviate the suffering of all Iraqis who have been displaced by the violence. The two leaders agreed to continue to consult closely on regional developments,” the White House said.
The country’s $500 million donation will go through the United Nations to counter Iraq’s humanitarian crisis.
Three days after ISIS declared itself a caliphate, President Obama and King Abdullah agreed to consult closely on regional developments, the White House said.
Saudi Arabia shares a 800 km border with Iraq...................http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/07/03/Saudi-King-Obama-urge-for-Iraq-unity-govt-.html
3/7/14