Leader of Iraq's Kurdistan suggests independence referendum may be postponed

Fort Russ
Wed, 20 Sep 2017 08:12 UTC

Masoud Barzani

President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, Masoud Barzani, has suggested that the Kurdish Independence referendum due to be held in six days time could be postponed.

Despite making promises that nothing will delay the referendum, Barzani has received immense international pressure from now just neighboring states like Iran and Turkey, but also from the United States, the United Kingdom and the United Nations, to not go ahead with the vote.

Barzani stated that if Baghdad was willing to negotiate on the independence issue, then the referendum will be postponed.

It remains to be seen how Baghdad will react to this proposition.

Comment: Meanwhile, as Fort Russ reports, negotiators have arrived in Iraq:

The Kurdistan's delegation of negotiators has arrived in Iraqi capital city of Baghdad in order to discuss the issue of the forthcoming referendum on independence of the Iraqi Kurdistan region.

The purpose of the visit is to find a compromise as regards the issue.

Recently, the Federal Supreme Court of Iraq has issued an order to immediately cease all Kurdistan referendum activities, asserting that holding the referendum is unconstitutional.

For his part, Massoud Barzani, the president of the autonomous Kurdistan region of Iraq said the alternatives to holding a referendum that were offered so far are not sufficient as they do not guarantee future independence.

Further reading: WH presses Kurdistan to cancel its independence referendum