Iraqi parliament asks leader Abadi to take back Kurd-held Kirkuk

BAGHDAD

The Iraqi parliament on Sept. 27 asked Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to send troops to the Kurdish-held region of Kirkuk and take control of its oilfields, as the prime minister demanded that Kurdish administration “cancel” the outcome of the independence referendum.

Kirkuk, claimed by the Kurds, is also home to Turkmen and Arab communities. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) included it in the independence referendum held on Sept. 25.

“The government has to bring back the oilfields of Kirkuk under the control of the oil ministry,” said the resolution voted by parliament in Baghdad.

It called on Abadi to “issue orders for the security forces to deploy in the disputed areas, including Kirkuk.”

In a speech to parliament, Abadi renewed his ultimatum to Masoud Barzani’s KRG to hand over control of international airports by Sept. 29 or face a ban on direct international flights to the Kurdish region.

People in northern Iraq voted overwhelmingly in favor of independence in the non-binding referendum. Any idea of secession is bitterly opposed by the governments in Baghdad, Turkey and Iran. The United States pressed Kurdish leaders to call off the poll.

“We won’t have a dialogue about the referendum outcome,” Abadi told parliament. “If they want to start talks, they must cancel the referendum and its outcome. We will impose Iraqi law in the entire region of Kurdistan under the constitution.”

His demand was rejected by KRG Transport Minister Mowlud Murad on Sept. 27. He told a news conference in Arbil that keeping control of airports and maintaining direct international flights to Erbil was necessary for the fight against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants.

Kurdish leaders say the referendum was held to give them a mandate to negotiate the peaceful secession of their region with Baghdad and Iraq’s powerful neighbors Iran and Turkey.

Murad expressed the hope that the crisis could be resolved by Sept. 29, saying it would damage Kurdistan’s economy.

In a televised address late on Sept. 26, Barzani had urged Abadi “not to close the door to dialogue because it is dialogue that will solve problems.”

“We assure the international community of our willingness to engage in dialogue with Baghdad,” he said, insisting the referendum was not meant “to delimit the border [between Kurdistan and Iraq], nor to impose it de facto.”

“The government has to bring back the oilfields of Kirkuk under the control of the oil ministry,” said the resolution voted by parliament in Baghdad.

It called on Abadi to “issue orders for the security forces to deploy in the disputed areas, including Kirkuk.”

In a speech to parliament, Abadi renewed his ultimatum to Masoud Barzani’s KRG to hand over control of international airports by Sept. 29 or face a ban on direct international flights to the Kurdish region.

People in northern Iraq voted overwhelmingly in favor of independence in the non-binding referendum. Any idea of secession is bitterly opposed by the governments in Baghdad, Turkey and Iran. The United States pressed Kurdish leaders to call off the poll.

“We won’t have a dialogue about the referendum outcome,” Abadi told parliament. “If they want to start talks, they must cancel the referendum and its outcome. We will impose Iraqi law in the entire region of Kurdistan under the constitution.”

His demand was rejected by KRG Transport Minister Mowlud Murad on Sept. 27. He told a news conference in Arbil that keeping control of airports and maintaining direct international flights to Erbil was necessary for the fight against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants.

Kurdish leaders say the referendum was held to give them a mandate to negotiate the peaceful secession of their region with Baghdad and Iraq’s powerful neighbors Iran and Turkey.

Murad expressed the hope that the crisis could be resolved by Sept. 29, saying it would damage Kurdistan’s economy.

In a televised address late on Sept. 26, Barzani had urged Abadi “not to close the door to dialogue because it is dialogue that will solve problems.”

“We assure the international community of our willingness to engage in dialogue with Baghdad,” he said, insisting the referendum was not meant “to delimit the border [between Kurdistan and Iraq], nor to impose it de facto.”