Iraq’s Kurds set for contentious referendum vote
ERBIL: Iraqi Kurds were preparing to vote in a referendum set for Monday on independence for their autonomous northern region, despite warnings within the country and from its neighbours Iran and Turkey.
The federal government in Baghdad has called the referendum unconstitutional.
There are concerns the vote could lead to unrest, and Washington and many Western countries have called for its postponement or cancellation, saying it will hamper the fight against the Islamic State group.
In regional capital Erbil, the political heartland of President Massud Barzani who initiated the referendum, Kurdish flags were flying everywhere.
Most people in the city said they will vote, but some also said they fear the possible consequences.
Iran and Turkey have sizeable Kurdish populations of their own and fear the vote will stoke separatist aspirations at home.
Some 5.5 million Kurds are expected to vote in the three provinces that have since 2003 formed the autonomous region of Kurdistan but also in territories disputed with Baghdad such as the oil-rich province of Kirkuk.
On Saturday, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim warned that Ankara’s actions in response to the referendum would have “economic and security dimensions”.
Asked whether a cross-border military operation was possible, Yildirim said “naturally”, but “it is a question of timing as to when the security, economic and political options will be applied.”
The United States and other Western nations back a UN-supported “alternative” plan for immediate negotiations on future relations in exchange for dropping the referendum.
Iran-backed militia Asaib Ahl al-Haq, which comes under the Hashed umbrella, was forthright in its opposition to the referendum. Its spokesman urged the federal authorities to “take legal measures to confront this project that threatens civil peace and national security”.