Macron offers mediation between Kurds, Iraq govt
Paris, Oct. 5: Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Thursday he did not want an armed conflict with his country’s Kurds, days after the autonomous Kurdistan region voted for independence in a referendum.
“We don’t want armed confrontation, we don’t want clashes but federal authority must prevail,” he said after a meeting in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron.” Separatism is unacceptable,” Mr Abadi said, reiterating that the non-binding September 25 vote in which 92.7 percent of Iraqi Kurds backed independence was “illegal”.
“Iraq belongs to all Iraqis,” he said, appealing to Kurdish Peshmerga forces to work with the Iraqi army “as we have worked together against Daesh (the Islamic State group), to guarantee citizens’ safety.”
Macron voiced support for Kurds’ rights while defending Iraq’s territorial unity.
France has “always been Paris, Oct. 5: French President Emmanuel Macron is offering for France to mediate between the Iraqi government and Kurds seeking independence after a controversial referendum.
Macron made the offer after meeting Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in Paris on Thursday in wide-ranging talks about French support for the fight against the Islamic State group and rebuilding Iraqi’s economy.
Mr Macron said France and others are worried about the situation of the Kurds after last month’s referendum,
sensitive to the situation of Kurds” but is also committed to stability in Iraq, Mr Macron said, calling for dialogue between Baghdad and Iraqi and said France supports the stability and territorial integrity of Iraq.
He insisted on the importance of “national reconciliation and inclusive governance” that includes Kurds, “with whom France maintains close ties.” Kurdistan.
“France is ready to contribute actively to the UN’s mediation efforts, if Iraqi authorities so wish,” he said.