Politics
21:52, 15-Oct-2017
Kurdish leaders reject Baghdad demand to cancel independence vote, renew dialogue offer
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The Iraqi government demand that the country's Kurdish leadership cancel the outcome of an independence referendum as a precondition for talks to resolve the dispute was rejected on Sunday.
Kurdistan Regional Government President Masoud Barzani's aide, Hemin Hawrami, said on Twitter that Kurdish leaders who met to discuss the crisis in the Kurdish town of Dokan renewed their offer to "resolve peacefully" the crisis with Baghdad.
The meeting was attended by Barzani, Iraqi President Fuad Masum, and Hero Talabni, the wife of Jalal Talabani, a Kurdish leader who died earlier this month.
A boy rides a bicycle with the flag of Kurdistan in Tuz Khurmato, Iraq September 24, 2017. /Reuters Photo
A boy rides a bicycle with the flag of Kurdistan in Tuz Khurmato, Iraq September 24, 2017. /Reuters Photo
They rejected what they described as "military threats" from Iraqi forces against Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, and pledged to defend Kurdish-held territory in case of an attack.
Thousands of Iraqi troops are locked in an armed standoff with Kurdish Peshmerga fighters in the oil-rich province of Kirkuk, amid spiraling tensions following last month's vote by the Iraqi Kurds for independence.
Iraq's central authorities had demanded the Kurds withdraw from disputed areas overnight but the deadline was extended by a day following talks.
Source(s): AFP
,Reuters