Iraq MPs vote against Kurdish independence referendum

BAGHDAD: The Iraqi parliament voted yesterday to oppose an independence referendum planned by Iraqi Kurdish leaders for later this month prompting a walkout by Kurdish lawmakers. Speaker Salim al-Juburi, a Sunni Arab, said the vote required the government to “take all steps to protect the unity of Iraq and open a serious dialogue” with Iraqi Kurdish leaders. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and other top officials have said repeatedly that the referendum planned for September 25 would violate Iraq’s constitution. Kurdish leaders plan to hold the plebiscite not only in the three northern provinces but also in other historically Kurdish-majority areas of Iraq that Kurdish forces captured during the battle against the Islamic State group.