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I5A4 The government of Iraq¶s semi autonomous .urdish region has taken an other step back from its failed bid for independence, accept ing a national court ruling that its disputed referendum was unconstitutional.

The .urdistan 5egional *ov ernment .5* , based in (rbil, said in a statement it would respect the )ederal Su preme Court¶s ruling on No vember . It called for talks with the government in Bagh dad to resolve tensions over the region¶s constitutional status.

³:e believe that this deci sion must become a basis for starting an inclusive na tional dialogue between (rbil and Baghdad to resolve all disputes through implemen tation of all constitutional articles and in a way that guarantees all rights, authori ties and status mentioned in the Constitution,´ the .5* said in the statement. ³This is the only way to secure the unity of Iraq.´

Iraq¶s .urds voted over whelmingly for independence in September in defiance of the central government in Baghdad, which had de clared the referendum illegal. The vote also raised hackles in neighboring Turkey and Iran, which have their own .urdish minorities. The concession over the court ruling marks the .urds¶ latest attempt to revive negotiations with central government, which imposed retaliatory measures following the inde pendence vote.

Those measures included an October offensive by Iraqi government forces, backed by Shia militia, to take the oil producing city of .irkuk from the .5*.

(CNN.COM/Photo: Majalla)