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| Iraq |
| EU cautions Iraqi Kurds against holding independence vote |
| 2017-06-20 |
| [Iran Press TV] The European Union has cautioned political parties in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region against holding an independence referendum in September. The EU foreign ministers said in a statement on Monday that "unilateral steps must be avoided, and that all open questions must be resolved through consensual positions" based on Iraq's constitution. The union also called on all Kurdish parties in Iraq's northern region to "seek common ground" and consider holding regional elections. In April, the representatives of the two main Kurdish parties of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) discussed the issue of a separation referendum and decided to hold the vote this year. Masoud Barzani, the president of Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), announced on June 7 that the vote would be held on September 25 in the three governorates that make up the Kurdish region and in the areas that are disputed by the Kurdish and Iraqi governments, including the disputed northern city of Kirkuk, Khanaqin, Sinjar and Makhmur. The plebiscite has on several occasions been criticized by the central government in Baghdad. Barzani has repeatedly called for a secession vote, but Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has stressed the need for preserving the country’s territorial integrity. The premier has also called on the Iraqi Kurdistan to scrap any plans for independence, arguing that the autonomous region could not do without the mainland. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #9 EUSSR is at least consistently against democracy. |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2017-06-20 15:27 |
| #8 Kurdexit? Go for it, Iraq is f$cked as it is--controlled by Shites and Iran. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2017-06-20 12:30 |
| #7 How do you say "Kish mir en toches" in Kurdish? Posted by g(r)omgoru Surprisingly understandable,even if it's in Kurdish! It's "Ass. Ass, Kiss!" |
| Posted by: Seeking cure for ignorance 2017-06-20 08:55 |
| #6 I believe the Kurdish response to be something like this: |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2017-06-20 08:30 |
| #5 "But you need a central government off somewhere to decide things for you. Like Brussels, say..." |
| Posted by: ed in texas 2017-06-20 08:25 |
| #4 Overreaching their sphere of control, I'd say. |
| Posted by: Mullah Richard 2017-06-20 08:16 |
| #3 How do you say "Kish mir en toches" in Kurdish? |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2017-06-20 05:59 |
| #2 You would have no government without them, Deal with it. I will have a Kurdistan as was promised. Period |
| Posted by: newc 2017-06-20 03:13 |
| #1 How very autocratic of them. |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2017-06-20 00:23 |