Parliamentary power: Kurds did not provide a convincing justification for non-commitment to pay oil money

[Floridian]

 

"Washington is trying to persuade Baghdad to provide adequate guarantees to Erbil to postpone the referendum."

The United States believes that "ensuring a fair share of Iraq's annual budget for the Kurds, may push Barzani to consider postponing the referendum."

 

All those Washington elites want to exchange their dinar, just like us, and they don't want Kurdistan to mess up the plans.

[yota691]

Kubic arrives in Kirkuk to discuss referendum

 

Sunday 20 August

 

 

 

Alsumaria News / Kirkuk arrived Envoy of the Secretary - General of the United Nations for Iraq , Jan Kubis, Sunday, to the province of Kirkuk to discuss the referendum Kurdistan .  A source in the province, in a press statement, that "Kubis will discuss with the Governor of Kirkuk, Najmuddin Karim, the building of the province, the subject of the referendum on the independence of the Kurdistan region, and the liberation of Hawija, and Kirkuk elections."  He added that "Kubis will discuss relief and accommodation of the displaced and their return to the liberated areas, and efforts to maintain stability and consolidate coexistence between the components of Kirkuk."   The Speaker of the House of Representatives Salim al-Jubouri , on Sunday, met with deputies of Kirkuk to discuss the article on the provincial elections.

[tigergorzow]

KDP denies Kurds threatened in Baghdad due to independence referendum

August 20 2017 12:33 PM

Kurdistan's referendum to be held Sep. 25

 

Shwan Mohammed Taha, Head of Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in Baghdad, denied on Sunday allegations claiming that Kurds in Baghdad had received threats after the leadership of Kurdistan Regional Government had decided to hold an independence referendum.   

Earlier, news reports said that some Kurds living in Baghdad have complained about receiving threats of expulsion due to the decision of holding Kurdistan referendum.       

In a statement, Taha said that KDP conducted field-based follow-up in all districts in Baghdad where Kurds live, adding that the party did not find any evidence that Kurdish residents had received any threats.     

Taha also noted that the security situation in the Iraqi capital is "unhealthy", stressing that this situation includes all components of the Iraqi society, not only Kurds.  

After Kurdistan Regional Government announced on June 7 that it would vote on September 25 on secession from Iraq, no Kurdish person was forced to leave Baghdad under any threats, he pointed out. He added that the Iraqi capital witnessed kidnappings last month, but Kurds were not among those abducted.   

Those rumormongers want to achieve gains by issuing these statements, Taha said. He added that Kurds living in Kurdistan Region want to attract more attention while those living in Baghdad want to form an entity for themselves.  

 

http://www.thebaghdadpost.com/en/story/15936/KDP-denies-Kurds-threatened-in-Baghdad-due-to-independence-referendum

[yota691]

The most important topics discussed by the coalition of Iraqi forces with the delegation of the Kurdistan Alliance

20-08-2017 02:06 PM

Readers

 

Baghdad News -

 

 

A delegation from the coalition of Iraqi forces headed by the head of the parliamentary bloc Salah al-Jubouri on Sunday morning a delegation from the Kurdistan Alliance headed by Roh Nuri Shaways at the headquarters of the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the two sides discussed some important political files, first and foremost the issue of referendum, Next.

 

A statement by the coalition of Iraqi forces received 'Baghdad News' a copy of it, Salah al-Jubouri expressed his rejection of the mass referendum in Kirkuk and all areas outside the borders of the region, stressing that we are not opposed to hold this referendum within the region.

 

"The coalition of Iraqi forces, which represent the Sunni majority living in the provinces, cities and regions adjacent to the region, is very much afraid of holding this referendum because there are problems that are still unresolved and have not been resolved over the past period, which caused a source of concern for them," the statement said.

 

The statement stressed that the insistence on holding the referendum under the pretext of the right to self-determination in accordance with Article 140, the other political parties will be taken from Article 143 of the Constitution as a starting point, so this insistence will not serve the Iraqi people, whether Kurds or Arabs.

 

"We are not against the right of self-determination and we are not against the freedom of the Iraqi people to choose the regime they wish to implement, but we believe that holding the referendum at this time is not in the best interests of the Iraqi people and foremost the Kurdish people, so we are with dialogue to dissolve all differences and outstanding problems and apply everything. It was the unification of Iraq land and people.

 

The statement added that the delegation of the coalition of Iraqi forces expressed his thanks and gratitude to the officials in the Kurdistan region for the great humanitarian situation, which they opened the doors of the region to the displaced and lift them from the ordeal they suffered as a result of the occupation of the terrorist organizations of their lands and cities and provinces.

 

For his part, the delegation of the Kurdistan Alliance said that with one unified Iraq and the land and people and we are not with the establishment of states in this country and we are with any dialogue aimed at giving the Kurds their rights that we hoped to take after the advent of the new democratic government in Iraq.

[yota691]

"Barzani" to "Maliki" ... You are dedicated to sectarianism and destroyed the relationship between Arbil and Baghdad

20-08-2017 02:13 PM

Readers

 

Baghdad News -

 

 

President of the Kurdistan region Massoud Barzani, former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, the responsibility of the situation in Iraq, adding that 'he who dedicated sectarianism, monopoly of power, destroyed the relationship between Baghdad and Erbil'. 

Barzani said in an interview with the newspaper Okaz Saudi Arabia, 'the fact that Nuri al-Maliki is the reason behind what reached Iraq today, is dedicated to sectarianism, monopoly of power, destroyed the relationship between Baghdad and Erbil, violated the Iraqi constitution,' indicating 'this is the reason of my collision with Nori Maliki, because there are no personal issues. 

And on whether Maliki plays a role in many of the decisions that are taken in Iraq, Barzani said: 'True Maliki still has an impact on the government in Baghdad in return there are attempts to reduce his influence' 

He continued that '

[tigergorzow]

Iraqi Forces Union Won’t Stand Against Kurds’ Aspirations: Official

 

Basnews English

20/08/2017 - 13:59

Iraq

 

 

 

ERBIL — Kurdistan Region’s referendum delegation met in Baghdad with the Iraqi Forces Union on Sunday for discussions over the upcoming independence referendum of Kurdistan Region.

In a press conference after the meeting, Salah al-Jabouri, head of the union said “We do not stand against the aspirations of the Kurdish people on the issue of the referendum, but we call on the brothers in the region to postpone the process until reaching solutions that serve the aspirations of Iraqis and the people of Kurdistan alike.”

Rozh Nouri Shawais, head of Kurdistan’s delegation said “The referendum of Kurdistan is not meant to provoke Baghdad, but we rather aspire to more brotherly relations with Iraq, and to stand together against terrorism.”

A Kurdistan Region’s delegation is currently visiting Baghdad to discuss with the Iraqi officials and political blocs the referendum on Kurdistan’s independence scheduled by Kurdistan’s political leadership for September 25.

 

http://www.basnews.com/index.php/en/news/iraq/372228

[The Englishman]

#WORLD NEWS

AUGUST 20, 2017 / 11:34 AM / 31 MINUTES AGO

Iraq's Kurds might put off independence vote in return for concessions from Baghdad: official

Reuters.

5 MIN READ

SULAIMANIYA, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraq's Kurds may consider the possibility of postponing a planned Sept. 25 referendum on independence in return for financial and political concessions from the central government in Baghdad, a senior Kurdish official said.

A Kurdish delegation is visiting Baghdad to sound out proposals from Iraqi leaders that might convince the Kurds to postpone the vote, according to Mala Bakhtiar, executive secretary of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Politburo.

The United States and other Western nations fear the vote could ignite a fresh conflict with Baghdad and possibly neighboring countries, diverting attention from the ongoing war against Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq and Syria.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson formally asked Massoud Barzani, president of the autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), 10 days ago to postpone the referendum.

"What thing would Baghdad be prepared to offer to the (Kurdish) region" in return for postponing the referendum, Bakhtiar, speaking about the talks with the Shi'ite Muslim-led Baghdad ruling coalition, said in an interview.

On the economic side, Baghdad should be ready to help the Kurds overcome a financial crisis and settle debts owed by their government, he told Reuters in the Kurdish city of Sulaimaniya.

He estimated the debt at $10 to $12 billion, about equal to the KRG's annual budget, owed to public works contractors and civil servants and Kurdish peshmerga fighters whose salaries have not been paid in full for several months.

At the political level, Baghdad should commit to agree to settle the issue of disputed regions, such as the oil-rich area of Kirkuk where Arab and Turkmen communities also live.

 

The Kurdish delegation would then convey the proposals to Kurdish political parties to make a decision on whether they are good enough to justify a postponment of the vote, he said, insisting on the Kurdish right to hold the vote at a later date.

"We don't accept to postpone the referendum with nothing in return and without fixing another time to hold it," he said.

Baghdad stopped payments from the Iraqi federal budget to the KRG in 2014 after the Kurds began exporting oil independently from Baghdad, via a pipeline to Turkey.

The Kurds say they need the extra revenue to cope with increased costs incurred by the war against Islamic State and a large influx into KRG territory of displaced people.

The self-proclaimed IS "caliphate" effectively collapsed in July when U.S.-backed Iraqi forces completed the recapture of Mosul from the militants in a nine-month campaign in which Kurdish peshmerga fighters took part.

The Sunni Muslim jihadists remain, however, in control of territory in western Iraq and eastern Syria. The United States has pledged to maintain its support of allied forces in both countries until the militants' total defeat.

INDEPENDENCE EYED SINCE WORLD WAR ONE

The Kurds have been seeking an independent state since at least the end of World War One, when colonial powers divided up the Middle East and left Kurdish-populated territory split between modern-day Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria.

Turkey, Iran and Syria, which together with Iraq have sizeable Kurdish communities, all oppose an independent Kurdistan. Prime Minister Abadi's government has rejected the planned referendum as "unilateral" and unconstitutional.

Barzani, whose father led struggles against Baghdad in the 1960s and 1970s, told Reuters in July the Kurds would take responsibility for the expected "yes" outcome of the referendum, and implement the outcome through dialogue with Baghdad and regional powers to avoid conflict.

"We have to rectify the history of mistreatment of our people and those who are saying that independence is not good," Barzani said in an interview in the KRG capital Erbil.

"Our question to them is, 'If it's not good for us, why is it good for you?'".

 

Iraq's majority Shi'ite population mainly lives in the south while the Kurds, largely secular Sunnis, and Sunni Arabs inhabit two swathes of the north. Central Iraq around Baghdad is mixed.

Kurdish officials have said disputed areas, including the Kirkuk region, will be covered by the referendum, to determine whether they would want to remain in Kurdistan or not.

The Kurdish peshmerga in 2014 prevented Islamic State from capturing Kirkuk, in northern Iraq, after the Iraqi army fled in the face of the militants. The peshmerga now effectively run the Kirkuk region, also claimed by Turkmen and Arabs.

Hardline Iran-backed Iraqi Shi'ite militias have threatened to expel the Kurds from this region and three other disputed areas - Sinjar, Makhmour and Khanaqin.

Reporting by Maher Chmaytelli; editing by Mark Heinrich

[The Englishman]

Barzani: Neither I nor any of my relatives will run in the presidential elections

 Mewan Dolamari |

 

 

---

The President of the Kurdistan Region Masoud Barzani. (Photo: Archive)

 

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – President of the Kurdistan Region Masoud Barzani on Sunday stated that he would not run in the upcoming presidential elections.

“The elections will be held in November as scheduled. Neither I nor any of my relatives will nominate themselves for the presidency,” Barzani said during an interview with Okaz, a Saudi-based newspaper.

Barzani has been leading the Kurdistan Region as President since 1991. After the fall of the Baath regime in Iraq in 2003, Barzani was elected as President, and his term was later extended following the emergence of the Islamic State (IS) in northern Iraq.

Along with other political parties in the Kurdistan Region, Barzani recently agreed to hold a referendum on independence scheduled for Sep 25.

“Postponing the referendum is inconceivable,” he told the Saudi newspaper.

He noted that what has been happening in Iraq over the past years has pushed the Kurdistan Region toward the referendum. He pointed to former Prime Minister of Iraq Nuri al-Maliki for subjecting Iraq to a sectarianism conflict, monopolizing power, destroying the relationship between Erbil and Baghdad, and violating the Constitution of the country.

President Barzani emphasized that the people of the Kurdistan Region are better placed than anyone else to know when is a good time to hold the referendum, stating the time for it is now.

He acknowledged that in an independent Kurdistan, the right of all ethnoreligious minorities would be constitutionally guaranteed and that they would be “genuine partners in government.”

The Kurdish President said that during the recent phone conversation with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, he agreed to hold talks with Baghdad to work toward a better future for both nations, but objected to postponing the referendum, insisting on the holding the vote on time.

Barzani also touched upon other issues, such as Iran and Turkey's impact on the Region. He underscored Iran's influence in Baghdad. “Frankly Iranian influence in Baghdad is stronger than the influence of any other country in Iraq.”

He recognized Turkey's investment in the Kurdistan Region but reiterated it disagrees on labeling the PKK a “terrorist group.”

“In spite of our differences with PKK, we don't view them as a terrorist organization.”

Commenting on the fight against the Islamic State (IS) and Peshmerga casualties, he reminded the interviewer that since June 2014, 1,781 Peshmerga have been ‘martyred’ while fighting the jihadist group and 10,161 more were wounded.

The Peshmerga has been one of the effective ground forces in defeating IS in Iraq, former US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter acknowledged when he was in his role.

 

Editing by G.H. Renaud

[yota691]

Barzani: Maliki destroyed relations between Baghdad and Erbil and postpone the referendum is a slave

The Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani said that the influence of Iran in Baghdad is stronger than the influence of any other country in Iraq, indicating that the government of the region wants to be a relationship with Iran on the basis of good neighborliness and common interests, rejecting what he called Iranian custody of the territory in any way.

Barzani said that the Kurds do not want to enter into a conflict with Iran as well as not to allow the Iranians to intervene in the affairs of the region.

On the relationship of the regional government to Iraqi Vice President Nuri al-Maliki, Barzani accused al-Maliki of destroying relations between Baghdad and Arbil and the consolidation of sectarianism in addition to his monopoly of power during his presidency of the government.

Praising the efforts of Prime Minister Haider Abadi in terms of negotiations and cooperation with the region in the war against the organization calling the terrorist in Mosul.

Regarding the referendum in the Kurdistan region, Barzani explained that the project of independence is the project of the Kurdish people in Iraqi Kurdistan and not the project of Massoud Barzani only.

Where he expressed his pride to lead this large Kurdish project, which was a dream for all Kurds and will become a reality soon, stressing the existence of conviction among the Kurdish people of the impossibility of living with Baghdad in one country.

Barzani pointed out that the Kurds have gone through two stages, the first since the establishment of the Iraqi state and the second stage since the fall of the former regime in 2000 and three.

Noting that the share of the Kurds from the partnership with Iraq was killed and Kurdish and targeted, unlikely to postpone the referendum after rejecting the American request made by Foreign Secretary Rex Tillerson last month.

[yota691]

Karim Kubic not to retreat from holding the Kurdistan independence referendum in Kirkuk

 

Policy     access_time 2017/08/20 14:30  Number of readings: 199

 

 

Baghdad today - Kirkuk

The governor of Kirkuk, Najmuddin Kareem, told UN Special Representative to Iraq Jan Kubic on Sunday that the referendum on independence in Kirkuk would be "irreversible".

"Kareem confirmed during his meeting with Kubic that Kirkuk will participate in the referendum process scheduled for September 25," the Kirkuk Provincial Information Office said in a statement received by Baghdad.

He added that "the meeting dealt with the issue of referendum, holding local elections in Kirkuk, delaying the launch of the plan to liberate Hawija, and secure the requirements to receive displaced from areas south of Kirkuk and West."

He pointed out that "the governor of Kirkuk renewed the need to hold the local Kirkuk elections without restriction and a condition similar to other cities and provinces, because it is another injustice targeting the citizens of Kirkuk."

"He praised the visit of the delegation of the Supreme Committee for the referendum in the Kurdistan region of Baghdad, and their meetings with officials in the federal government and political parties and blocs."

On the issue of the displaced, especially the citizens of Hawija, the governor of Kirkuk expressed his full support for them and to alleviate their suffering and the harsh conditions they face. He said that "our children in Hawija face brutality, targeting and injustice by the gangs who support the terrorists, despite the repeated calls and demands for the quick release of Hawija, Of risks to all areas of quarrying. "

[yota691]

National Coalition for the Kurdish delegation: The current political situation does not tolerate more complexity

Political

 Since 2017-08-20 at 15:29 (Baghdad time)

Baghdad - Mawazine News

The National Coalition said on Sunday that the critical political situation in Iraq is no longer complicated, pointing out that dialogue and understanding is the best solution to correct deviations.

The coalition said in a statement that "the leadership of the National Coalition received a delegation of the Supreme Council for the referendum of the Kurdistan region," adding that "the meeting discussed the overall political situation in the country in addition to the file of the referendum to be held in the Kurdistan region during the next month and its implications "He said.

"The solution to the differences between the central government and the provincial government is possible through intensifying dialogue and repeating meetings," the coalition said during the meeting, stressing that "the referendum option in the current situation will not solve any problem."

He stressed that "the calls for separation will not serve the Kurds or their democratic experience and historical struggle," noting that "the salvation of all and ensure their rights lies in building a nation of citizenship in one unified Iraq, which must be paid attention to everyone and work for it."

This stressed the President of the Kurdistan region Massoud Barzani, earlier this month, the insistence of the Kurdish leadership to hold the referendum on the scheduled date of 25 September next. Ended 29/6 N

[10 YEARS LATER]

Yes, let's not muddy the waters any more than they already are . . . distractions atop more distractions. 

[yota691]

Kurdish referendum and the delegation of negotiations .. And break the cycle

By Adel Abdul Mahdi two hours ago

Adel Abdul Mahdi

"The referendum will not mean the announcement of secession, the annexation of Kirkuk and the disputed areas, a democratic process for delegation to a dialogue between the Kurdish leadership and the federal government?" Said Hoshyar Zebari.

If we went beyond the mistakes that were made by the various parties, the Iraqi people did not unite with their rulers before 2003 in their war against the Kurds, and reviewed especially the famous fatwa of the Grand Mufti, Mr. Mohsen al-Hakim Qods Sarh, the sanctity of fighting the Kurds .. The people opened its doors to receive the displaced and exiles, The Kurds today in the reception of the displaced people of war against "da'ash", and have always linked their battles for their rights to the Iraqi national cause, and they were a loud voice in their defense .. Kurdistan was a free refuge to defend the issues of Iraq as a whole and not only the issue of Kurdistan. And raised the slogan of "democracy for Iraq and self-government of Kurdistan" ... The setbacks of the Kurds have also been associated with the setbacks of Iraq as a whole .. Their victories were linked to the victories of the entire people, so they were the happiest success of the referendum on the Constitution, which included a lot of rights and interests for them and the rest of the Iraqis, As a basis both from Baghdad and what it represents, and Arbel and what it represents. And the failure to implement the constitution, or stumbling was not harmful to the Kurds only, but all parties .. Perhaps the damage was in the rest of the regions more than in Kurdistan, the former autonomy in Kurdistan, and its independent management after the withdrawal of the Baghdad administration (1991), and much of the independence that And characterized the behavior of the region after 2003. The weak side is the weakness of the other and the strength of the party is the strength of the other. Which translates Kurds' words that Baghdad is their strategic choice.

The Kurdish delegation headed by Professor Nuri Shaways held a series of meetings in Baghdad. Unfortunately, no papers have yet been put forward, despite the sensitivity of the subject. There are promises of reciprocal papers this week, which may prove impossible. What is impossible for this or that party? What is possible? 

1. It will be impossible for the Kurdish delegation to raise the issue of the referendum as a sacred issue that can not be debated. The delegation offered alternative options for the referendum, and their vision of the type of relationship that serves Iraq's interests and interests, so that Baghdad can discuss them and the possibility of opening them.

2. On the other hand, it would be impossible for Baghdad to call for postponing everything and continuing what it has done and doing, and putting the Kurds - and non-Kurds - at a standstill. Baghdad must put its serious preparations to the test, to change the paths and methodology of governance, not only for the benefit of the Kurds, but for the benefit of all Iraqis .. And its role as a federal government, and the role of the components as a real partner and not impose the status quo, and if it can not be treated as real partners. 

3 - In order not to put Baghdad in front of one option closes the doors of dialogue before opening .. And not to put the Kurds in front of the option of the status quo, either accept it or go solo, must be dismantled file and break the closed circle,

1 - to put Baghdad and Erbil joint paper before the end of 2017, to come out by agreement, frame the constitution letter and spirit and without any selectivity, between the federal government and the provincial government .. To be in return to cancel or cancel the referendum of September 25 for lack of need for it .. Technical province declared referendum is the gain of delegation , And Baghdad accepted in practice.

2 - The joint paper above for common tracks to be applied during a specified period (4-8 years, for example) start with the next legislative elections, or any other timing. The paper includes serious and practical solutions to partnership and mutual obligations, resolving outstanding and emerging issues, or any alternative options mutually agreed upon. 

3. Baghdad and Erbil agree on one or more of the Iraqi parties to monitor the good implementation of the agreement, and it is possible (by mutual agreement) that the United Nations or other parties will participate. 

 4 - It is necessary to agree to ensure the interests of all Iraq, and the interests of the region in one, and not be one at the expense of the other.

[yota691]

Abadi's office denies what the Reuters news agency reported about the Kurdistan political delegation to Baghdad

By Ziad al-Haidari 5 hours ago

Haydar al-Abadi and Mullah Bakhtiar

Ruudao - Erbil 

The Information Office of the Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, on Sunday, the information he described as false and published in a report to Reuters about the delegation of political Kurdistan to Baghdad. 

"The Information Office of the Prime Minister denies the false information published in a report by Reuters about the Kurdish political delegation to Baghdad," the statement said, quoting a news agency correspondent recently quoted the official of the Political Bureau of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, Mullah Bakhtiar In the report contains false information and far from reality has not been addressed at all in the talks of the Kurdish delegation, and Mullah Bakhtiar was not originally within the Kordi delegation.

The statement stressed "the importance of investigating the accuracy of the transfer of information, as the report of the Agency did not take the absolute opinion of the second party and the opinion of the delegation and only one opinion was not in the delegation and provided incorrect information."

"The Kurds may consider the possibility of postponing a referendum on independence scheduled for September 25 in return for financial and political concessions from the central government in Baghdad," Mullah Bakhtiar, the official of the political bureau of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, told Reuters in an interview. 

The agency explained that Bakhtiar had indicated that the delegation of Kurdistan to visit Baghdad to see proposals from Iraqi leaders may convince the Kurds to postpone the vote and Baghdad is ready to achieve anything for the Kurdistan Region.

[tigergorzow]

Abadi denies offering any concessions to Kurdish delegation

August 20 2017 06:55 PM

Abadi

 

The media office of Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Sunday issued a statement denying claims included in a Reuters report about the recent visit of Kurdish delegation to Baghdad.

Iraq's Kurds may consider the possibility of postponing a planned Sept. 25 referendum on independence in return for financial and political concessions from the central government in Baghdad, Reuters cited Mala Bakhtiar, executive secretary of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Politburo.

Abadi statement said that Mala Bakhtiar wasn't among the delegation's members, denying all statements he made to Reuters.
 

http://www.thebaghdadpost.com/en/story/15958/Abadi-denies-offering-any-concessions-to-Kurdish-delegation

[tigergorzow]

We won't tolerate any Iranian schemes in Kurdistan: Barzani

August 20 2017 08:47 PM

Barzani

 

 

President of Kurdistan region Masoud Barzani said on Sunday that he will not allow the Iranians to carry out schemes in the region, describing the Movement led by Moqtada al-Sadr as 'patriotic'. 

In an interview with Okaz newspaper, he said:"In principle, we want a good neighborly relationship with Iran, with no one interfering in the affairs of the other."

He added:"I reiterate that we will not accept any guardianship over us from party. And it is a well-established policy by us not to accept any meddling by Iran."

"We don’t want to clash with Iran. But we will not tolerate any of its schemes in the region."

Barzani yet asserted some IMIS offshoots committed crimes as heinous as the ones committed by ISIS.

The Kurdish leader affirmed that he has 'very strong' ties with the Sadrist leader Moqtada al-Sadr. He hailed the Sadrist Movement as a 'patriot' faction'.

On the referendum, Barzani said the region will go ahead with the independence plebiscite as scheduled. 

 

http://www.thebaghdadpost.com/en/story/15963/We-won-t-tolerate-any-Iranian-schemes-in-Kurdistan-Barzani

[tigergorzow]

Barzani: Neither I Nor Any of My Relatives Will Run for President

 

Basnews English

20/08/2017 - 16:21

Kurdistan

 

 

 

 

ERBIL — Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani said on Sunday that neither he nor any of his relative would run for president in the upcoming presidential elections.

“The elections will be held in November as scheduled. Neither I nor any of my relatives will run for president,” Barzani said in an interview with Saudi paper of Okaz released on Sunday.

In a meeting chaired by Barzani on June 7, the political parties in Kurdistan Region decided to go ahead with holding a referendum on independence on September 25th.

Regarding the factors that pushed Kurdistan Region towards the referendum, Barzani blamed the Iraqi government for violating the constitution and partnership as well. He also pointed to former Iraqi PM Nuri al-Maliki for leading the country into a sectarian conflict, monopolizing power, destroying the relationship between Erbil and Baghdad, and violating the constitution of the country.

President Barzani emphasized that only the people of Kurdistan can determine when is a good time for holding the referendum, adding it is the right time now.

He stated that in an independent Kurdistan, the rights of all minorities would be constitutionally guaranteed and that they would be “genuine partners in the government.”

Barzani also referred to the recent phone conversation with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson who called for postponing the referendum. Barzani said he agreed to hold talks with Baghdad to work towards a better future for both nations, but refused to postpone the referendum.

Barzani was also asked about other issues, such as Iran and Turkey's impact on the region. He noted they have good relations with both countries.
When asked whether he sees Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) as a terrorist organization, Barzani said “We disagree with them and we have many observations on the practices of the PKK, but we do not classify it as a terrorist organization.”

 

http://www.basnews.com/index.php/en/news/kurdistan/372273

[yota691]

The virtue of Shaways: Differences with the Center to justify the resort to sharp decisions

Date of release: 2017/8/20 20:13 • 118 times read

Baghdad: The Islamic Virtue Party during a meeting with the Kurdish delegation headed by Rose Nuri Shaways that the problems and differences of the Center and the region does not justify resort to steps or decisions acute draw the current problems and lead to the production of crises.

"The Islamic Virtue Party received at its headquarters in Baghdad on Sunday, the Kurdish delegation headed by Rose Nuri Shaways, and was discussed in the political and security situation of the country," a statement issued by his office said. 
He added that "the Virtue Party stressed during his meeting with the Kurdish delegation on the commitment of the unity of Iraq and Iraqis to ensure the defeat of terrorism and the achievement of common national interests," noting that "the existence of problems and differences between the Center and the region does not justify the resort to steps or decisions acute draw the current problems and lead to the production of crises And new problems wider than the previous. " 
"The two parties stressed the need for communication and meetings and the continuation of transparent and direct dialogues to address differences and formulate common national solutions."

[yota691]

Bayati: The coalition paper is free from the referendum and emphasizes the solution of problems and recognition of their existence

Date of release: 2017/8/20 21:37 • 244 times read

(Baghdad: al-Furat News) The MP for the component of Turkmen Abbas al-Bayati that the paper of the National Alliance provided to the Kurdish delegation free of the issue of the referendum, while stressing the solution of the problems and recognition of their existence. 

Al-Bayati told «Euphrates News» today that «the second meeting held this evening, between the Kurdish delegation and the seven-party formed after the visit of the President of the National Alliance, Mr. Ammar al-Hakim to the Kurdistan region, where I held a meeting last Wednesday and the vision of the alliance is clear that we with dialogue and understanding Under the Constitution. " 
He added that "the coalition asked the Kurdish delegation to provide a vision on the problems to present him at a final meeting a vision to deal with these crises away from the referendum and separation." 
He explained that "the coalition paper stressed the solution of the problems and recognition of their existence and resort to the Constitution and make it the rule of separation, and the maintenance of dialogue, and we are facing a common enemy is calling and must join forces," stressing that "the coalition paper is free of referendum or secession and adheres to the unity of Iraq and the importance of reviewing files and failures "He said.
He added that "rejecting the issue of the referendum will not be complicated, they have a point of view and Maibrha they are defending their vision and the National Alliance defending his vision, not necessarily meet in the first meeting, but the arrival of the Kurdish delegation is a positive step and they will return to their leaders the outcome of these meetings and Baghdad will keep their doors open to them "He said. 
On the vote on the law of the election of provincial councils, al-Bayati said that "the House of Representatives will see tomorrow vote on the law of the election of provincial councils and we hope to be intensive to pass the law," noting that "the meeting of Speaker of the House of Representatives Salim al-Jubouri with the heads of blocs in it made significant and left the Kurdish and Turkmen options, And the selection of government text has been replaced some texts and partial amendments to it became a balanced and supplier agreement.
He pointed out that "there are three laws we hope to vote on tomorrow, namely, the law of the election of the provincial council and the law of provincial councils and determine the number of members and how to deal with the increase, which was a technical defect by the committees of legal and parliamentary regions, and the law of amnesty was as a national coalition are ready to vote on Saturday, The Union of Powers requested a postponement. " 

[yota691]

This resulted from the National Alliance and the Kurdish delegation

Release date: 2017/8/20 23:45 • 906 times read

(Baghdad: Al-Furat News) The delegations of the National Alliance and Al-Kurdi agreed at the end of a meeting on Sunday to continue dialogue within the framework of the constitution to resolve all outstanding problems.

"During these days we had several meetings with the Kurdish delegation; to study outstanding issues between the center and the region, and discussed the political and social issues," said the head of the delegation of the National Alliance Amer Khuzaie in a joint press conference with the Kurdish delegation. 
He pointed out that "we are still serious dialogue within the framework of the Iraqi constitution, and we reached approaches, and agreed to continue dialogue, whether in Baghdad or Erbil," revealing "a new meeting between the Center and the region after two weeks." 
"A lot of outstanding issues have been touched on in an atmosphere of understanding," he said. 
For his part, head of the Kurdish delegation Rose Nuri Shaways that "
He explained that "the meeting was characterized by affection and was an open dialogue in which we discussed a lot of problems and in particular the political and executive problems outstanding and that the accumulation that lead to crises are not in favor of the components of the Iraqi people." 
He pointed out that "the result of the dialogue focused on it we have reached a convergence of more than the previous in the diagnosis of the nature of outstanding problems and the need to solve the spirit of serving the citizen and components and be a factor for the stability of the region and peace and the fight against terrorism."

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Talabani: The disputed areas have become to Kurdistan and the judiciary works under the laws of the Baath

Release Date: 2017/8/21 9:20 • 392 times read

(Baghdad: Al-Furat News) The head of the Kirkuk Provincial Council Reboar Talabani said that the disputed areas became after 2007 for the Kurdistan region. "

Talabani told the {Euphrates News}, that "the disputed areas became areas of Kurdistan because of the federal government's renunciation of the agreed items in 2007 in this regard," noting that "the Iraqi parliament does not accept the entry of Article 140 of the Constitution on its agenda, including the Speaker of Parliament Salim al-Jubouri. " 
He added that "the Kurds do not trust the Iraqi government because of the previous promises, and they repudiated the adoption of Article 140 and then the other party will turn it and comes with another treatment, the referendum, 12 years ago, the government could not pass the law and resolve the issue of disputed areas.
And the decision of the Administrative Court in the case of dropping the flag of the province in Kirkuk, Talabani explained that "the Administrative Court responded to the invitation submitted by the Council," noting that "it is not the jurisdiction of the administrative court to decide the issue of dropping the Kurdish flag from the building of Kirkuk province, Baath Party back to the year 1986 belongs to the Iraqi flag, "as he put it. 
"We have expressed the decision legally but the Administrative Judicial Council has closed the curtain on our request, and of course we will distinguish the case with the judiciary," adding that "the text of the resolution was based on the law of the Baath Party and certainly will appeal to such a decision."
On the referendum, Talabani said that "the issue of the referendum so far did not enter the axis of the province; but if the government continues these policies certainly, all components of the province of Kirkuk will go to the referendum because it belongs to the original historical to Kurdistan and the right of the people of Kirkuk to return to the mother," pointing to " To review the audit of the register of voters in the province, especially after the displacement of more than 40 thousand families from Hawija to Kirkuk. 
He added that "the international community deals with reality, there is no text for the lack of self-determination with the existence of 50 million people of the Kurds are entitled to have a state," explaining that "the Kurdish parties are not opposed to the referendum, but object to the mechanism of the Kurdish state, Kurdish and with him his report to the Kurdish leaders, and we are optimistic about good. "
"There is no sensitivity to the popular crowd, but we are in close coordination with him, and we respect him for the sacrifices they made in liberating the land from the people," he concluded.

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Erbil and Baghdad agree to hold a second round of negotiations on the referendum

Political

 From 2017-08-21 at 09:36 (Baghdad time)

Baghdad Mawazine News

Kurdish negotiator in Baghdad agreed with his counterparts in the National Alliance to continue to negotiate and hold a second round in Erbil or Baghdad during the next two weeks.

 The deputy of the coalition of state law, Amer Khuzaie, in a joint press conference held on Sunday night with the head of the Kurdish delegation, Rose Nuri Shaways, they reached more convergence and shared visions and decided to continue to exchange views and solutions projects in the next two weeks, whether in Baghdad Or Erbil.

For his part, the head of the Kurdish delegation, Rose Nuri Shaways, said he hoped to visit a delegation from the National Alliance and from Baghdad to Erbil in the coming days for a second session of dialogues and negotiations. "We inform our leadership of what we have reached and they also communicate with the references of the resolution and continue dialogue."

Shaways also stressed that the two sides exchanged views frankly and seriously about resolving the issues, and denied that they reached solutions because the decision by the leaders and they tried to exchange views.

The Kurdish delegation arrived in Baghdad on Monday, and met with the Prime Minister and the President of the Republic in order to deliver the message of the Kurdish leadership and the referendum on the independence of the region on time, September 25, 2017.

It is noteworthy that the President of the Kurdistan region, Massoud Barzani, announced in the 24 of April last, the determination of the twenty-fifth of September next, a date for the referendum on the independence of Kurdistan, which has generated mixed reactions at the Iraqi and international levels.

On Tuesday (8 August 2017), the city of Sulaymaniyah witnessed the launch of the first Kurdish civic movement in the Kurdistan region against the referendum, which is now called "No-_", with the participation of a number of citizens, political figures, writers, journalists and civil society activists.

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For money .. A deal between the region and Baghdad is based on postponement of the referendum

Last Post: 21-08-2017 02:36 PM

Readers

 

Baghdad News -

 

 

Raised within the Kurdish circles the possibility of postponing the referendum on the independence of the region from Baghdad, which began with the approaching date set on the twenty-fifth September will turn into a political crisis inside and around Iraq. 

Mullah Bakhtiar, head of the political bureau of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), said Iraq's Kurds might consider postponing the referendum in exchange for financial and political concessions from the central government in Baghdad. 

Bakhtiar Bawadir Lin's speech is the first of its kind in the Kurdish position to hold the referendum on time. The latest was renewed by the President of the Kurdistan region of Iraq Massoud Barzani in statements to the local newspaper Okaz, where he said that the Iraqi Kurds are going to the referendum to determine their fate because they do not want to return to the experience of the past hundred years failed.

The Kurdish parties adopted the idea of the referendum under pressure, most notably by the United States, which does not appear to be opposed to the idea of independence of Kurdistan itself, but the timing of the start of implementation, as the current period for Washington is a period of refocusing influence in the Middle East, including Iraq and Syria And waiting for the situation there. 

The official said the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, a Kurdish delegation to visit Baghdad to see suggestions from Iraqi leaders may persuade the Kurds to postpone the vote. 

The United States and other Western countries fear that the referendum could ignite a new struggle for Kurds with Baghdad, Ankara and Tehran, distracting attention from the war against a militant organization. Washington's papers and efforts to concentrate its influence may be mixed with the same war, which employs Kurdish elements in the Syrian Orient.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson formally asked Iraqi President Massoud Barzani 10 days ago to postpone the referendum. 

"As an alternative to delaying the referendum, Baghdad is ready to achieve anything for the Kurdistan region," Bakhtiar told Reuters. He said Baghdad should be ready to help the Kurds overcome the financial crisis and settle debts owed by their government. 

The debt was estimated at between $ 10 billion and $ 12 billion, roughly equal to the annual budget of Kurdistan, debts owed to public contractors, government officials and Peshmerga fighters whose salaries have not been fully paid for months. 

On the political front, he said Baghdad should agree to settle the issue of disputed areas such as the oil-rich Kirkuk region, home to Arabs and Turkmen.

He said the Kurdish delegation would convey the proposals it would receive to the Kurdish political parties to decide whether they were sufficient to justify the postponement of the vote, stressing that the Kurds had the right to vote at a later date if the postponement was delayed. 

"We do not accept that we should postpone the referendum without an alternative and without specifying another time for the referendum," he said. 

Baghdad stopped funding payments from the federal budget of the Kurdistan government in 2014 after the Kurds began to export oil independently via a pipeline to Turkey. The region's share of the federal budget is 17 percent. 

The Kurds say they needed extra revenue to deal with the increased costs incurred by the war to organize the influx and influx of large numbers of displaced people into Kurdistan.

Last month, the so-called state of the "caliphate" declared by the organization collapsed when US-backed Iraqi forces successfully restored control of Mosul after a nine-month campaign involving Kurdish Peshmerga forces. 

But the militant group still controls territory in western Iraq and eastern Syria. The United States has vowed to continue its support for allied forces in the two countries until the Islamic state is completely defeated. Among these are the "allied forces", the Syrian Democratic (Kurdish) forces, which, with the help of the United States, are waging a major battle against a Damascus-based cleric, under the watchful eye of Turkey's arming the Kurds and turning them into a striking force in the region. Washington's objection to the referendum is likely to ease Ankara's anxiety and not push it toward more radical steps against the Kurds.

The Kurds have been seeking an independent state since the end of World War I, at least when colonial powers divided the Middle East to leave Kurdish-occupied territory divided between Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria. 

Turkey, Iran and Syria, together with large numbers of Kurds, oppose the independence of Kurdistan from Iraq. Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi's government rejected the planned referendum as unconstitutional. 

Barzani told Reuters in July that the Kurds would be held responsible for the outcome of the referendum expected to support independence and apply it through dialogue with Baghdad and regional powers to avoid conflict. "We have to correct the history of abuse against our people," he said. The majority of Shiites live in southern Iraq, with Kurds and Sunni Arabs living in the north and the center of the country around Baghdad, a mix of races and sects.

Kurdish officials say the referendum will also take place in disputed areas including oil-rich Kirkuk to determine whether it wants to remain in Kurdistan. 

Iraqi-backed Shi'ite Islamist groups have threatened to forcibly expel the Kurds from the area and three other disputed areas - Sinjar, Makhmur and Khanaqin.

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Barzani Party confirms its readiness to take any step to unify the Kurdish class

 

Monday 21 August

 

 

Alsumaria News / Erbil  The adviser to the Political Bureau of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Aref Rushdi , on Monday, that the national interests far greater than the demands of the party, stressing the readiness of his party to take any step that would unite the Kurdish class.  Rushdie said in an interview for Alsumaria News that "the meeting of the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the movement of change is an important step to solve the problems existing between the two parties, especially after they come after a significant break between the two sides." He pointed out that "the meeting is at a time moving Kurdistan region towards the referendum and self-determination."   Rushdie stressed "the readiness of the Kurdistan Democratic Party to take any step that would unite the Kurdish class," saying that "national interests far greater than partisan demands."  Rushdie said he hoped "the change movement will take similar steps towards solving the problems."  A leading delegation of the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Kurdish Change Movement in Sulaymaniyah met on Monday to discuss the problems between the parties and normalize the political situation in the Kurdistan region.

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Looking good