Barzani: Time is ripe for referendum on Kurdish independence

Iraqi Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani has said the “time is ripe” for a referendum on statehood, according to Anadolu Agency.

In a statement released on Tuesday he said: “Now the time is ripe for the people of Kurdistan to decide their future through a referendum.”

“The referendum does not mean an immediate declaration of a state but to know the opinion and desire of the people of Kurdistan which the Kurdish political leadership will implement at an appropriate time and circumstance,” Barzani said in the statement.

“Our region has witnessed too many disasters and change is on the way and the Kurds haven’t caused any of it. The Kurds have only been the victims while others have brought disasters and conflict to the region,” he said.