Iraqi parliament rejects Kurdish independence referendum

Iraq's parliament voted on Tuesday to reject a referendum on Kurdish independence planned for September 25, authorising the prime minister to "take all measures" to preserve Iraq's unity, lawmakers said.

Kurdish lawmakers walked out of the session before the vote and issued statements afterwards rejecting the decision.

Western powers fear a plebiscite in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region – including the oil city of Kirkuk – could ignite conflict with the central government in Baghdad and divert attention from the war against Daesh militants.

"This referendum lacks a constitutional basis and thus it is considered unconstitutional," the resolution said, without specifying which measures the central government should take.

"Kurdish lawmakers walked out of the session but the decision to reject the referendum was passed by a majority," Mohammed al Karbouli, an Iraqi lawmaker, said.

TRT World spoke to Ammar Karim from Iraqi capital, Baghdad.

Meeting before referendum

A senior Kurdish official dismissed the vote as non-binding though an Iraqi lawmaker said it would be published in the official gazette after approval from the Iraqi presidency.

"The Kurdish parliament will definitely have a response to the resolution when it convenes on Thursday," said Hoshiyar Zebari, former Iraqi foreign and finance minister and now a senior adviser to Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) President Massoud Barzani.

Barzani had said he wants to pursue independence though dialogue without provoking a conflict.

A Kurdish delegation met officials in Baghdad for a first round of talks in August concerning the referendum.

An Iraqi delegation was expected to visit Irbil in early September for a second round of talks, but the visit has yet to happen with less than two weeks before the vote.

The Iraqi government is opposed to the poll, claiming it will affect the war against Daesh, cause instability and violate the Iraqi constitution.

Turkey and the US are also against the vote as it may ignite new clashes in the region.