Kurds moving firmly towards independence referendum, says Barzani

The President of the autonomous Iraqi Kurdish Region reiterated on Sunday that the referendum on the independence of the Kurdish region from Iraq is to take place on its set date, AlKhaleejonline.com has reported. Postponing the referendum is “absolutely impossible,” Masoud Barzani told the Saudi newspaper Okaz.

Barzani explained that the Kurds do not want to go back to the “failed” 100-year-old experiment. That is why they are firm about having the referendum, he said.

He denied that he told US Secretary of State Rix Tillerson that he agreed to delay the referendum. “No, I did not agree to delay the referendum,” he insisted, “but I did agree to start a dialogue with Baghdad to reach a framework for a better future for both sides,” he insisted.

Turkey: Kurdish independence vote could start civil war in Iraq

Iraq’s national flag [L] and Kurdish regional flag [R]