West warns against ‘risky’ Kurdish independence vote

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Western powers pressed Iraqi Kurdish leaders to ditch a "very risky" independence vote on Thursday, as Baghdad attempted to remove the Kurdish independence-supporting governor of Kirkuk.

The referendum, scheduled for September 25, has become a potential flashpoint in the region, with the West concerned it could ignite conflict with Baghdad and divert attention from the war against ISIL militants.

The special US envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL, Brett McGurk. /AFP Photo

"Heading into a referendum for September 25, there is no prospect for international legitimacy," Brett McGurk, a US special envoy, said after a delegation, which also included the UN and Britain, met with Kurdish President Massoud Barzani. "This is a very risky process."

McGurk said Kurdish leaders could embrace an alternative plan focused on dialogue between the Kurdistan region and Baghdad and delay the referendum. He refused to give details.

Iraqi Kurdish President Massoud Barzani (C) attends a rally in support for the upcoming independence referendum in Zakho, Iraq on September 14, 2017. /Reuters Photo

The Kurdish presidency said the autonomous region's political leaders would study the proposal, but Barzani was later quoted by local media as telling a rally the vote would go ahead as planned.

Kirkuk governor refuses to step down

Kirkuk Governor Najmaddin Kareem said he had no intention of following Baghdad’s order to step down, issued at the behest of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

“I will stay in office,” he told Reuters. “The referendum will go on as planned...The prime minister does not have the power to ask parliament to remove me.”

Iraqi lawmakers authorized Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi this week to “take all measures” to preserve national unity before the Kurdish independence referendum. /AFP Photo

Iraqi lawmakers authorized Abadi this week to “take all measures” to preserve national unity before the Kurdish independence referendum, which they voted to reject.

Baghdad and Iraq’s neighbors are opposed to the vote. Iraqi lawmakers say it will consolidate Kurdish control over several disputed areas, including oil-rich Kirkuk.

People show their support for the upcoming Kurdish independence referendum in Zakho, Iraq on September 14, 2017. /Reuters Photo

The province is claimed by both the central government in Baghdad and Barzani’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq.

Kareem is a vocal supporter of the referendum and campaigned for the vote to be held in Kirkuk.

Kurds have long claimed Kirkuk and its huge oil reserves as their own. They regard the city as their historical capital, but the ethnically mixed city also has Arab and Turkmen populations.

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Source(s): Reuters