Top US Diplomat Demands "Delay" of Iraqi Kurdistan Referendum

The US secretary of state called on the leader of Iraq’s semi-autonomous region Kurdistan region, Massoud Barzani, to delay a controversial referendum on independence from the mainland slated for next month.

In a telephone call on Friday, Rex Tillerson said Washington “would want for the referendum to be postponed and that the issues between the Kurdistan region and the federal government in Baghdad should be addressed through dialogue,” Barzani’s office said in a statement, presstv reported.

• The statement further added that “on the issue of the postponement of the referendum, the President [Barzani] stated that the people of the Kurdistan Region would expect guarantees and alternatives for their future.”

It, however, did not elaborate on Barzani’s reaction to the demand by the senior American official concerning the referendum that is due to take place on September 25.

However, Reuters on Saturday quoted Hoshyar Zebari, Barzani’s advisor, as saying that Iraq’s Kurds will maintain their plan to hold the referendum.

“The date is standing, Sept. 25, no change,” the Iraqi Kurdish official added.
 [farsnews.com]
12/8/17
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