Kurdish leader: No turning back on independence bid

Iraq's Kurdish leader said that there was no turning back on a bid to achieve an independent Kurdish state, but he would pursue it through dialogue with Baghdad and regional powers to avoid conflict.


Masoud Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), told Reuters in an interview on Thursday that the timetable for independence after a September 25 vote on the issue was "flexible but not open-ended". He expected a "yes vote".

The vote could turn into another regional flashpoint, with states with sizable Kurdish populations (Turkey, Iran and Syria, along with Iraq) all resolutely opposed to an independent Kurdistan in northern Iraq. But Barzani played down such fears.

Within Iraq's borders, there is growing concern that the real purpose of the referendum is not secession, but to strengthen Kurdish claims over hotly disputed territory adjoining recognised KRG boundaries, such as the oil-rich region and city of Kirkuk, whose future has been in play for more than a decade.
 [aljazeera.com]
6/7/17
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