The Kurdish region referendum costs are not limited to domestic and regional actors, but also include security developments inside Iraq. In just five days, numerous Iraqi cities were subjected to a terrorist attack.
A referendum on the independence of the Iraqi Kurdistan region, which is scheduled to take place on Monday, is still in doubt. While the world has announced its positions in support of the central government of Iraq to Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi, Erbil continues to seek concessions from Baghdad. Meanwhile, many analysts of the Iraqi internal affairs have expressed concern that the process will turn into internal tensions and bloody conflicts between the two sides.
During the last months, Massoud Barzani has made great efforts in negotiating with various official and informal parties in order to achieve the bests and to present himself as the Kurdish historian and establish the first Kurdish state in the region. This approach is supported by the Zionist regime under various topics and motives. Of course, the most important of these motivations is the breakdown of Iraq as one of the main forces of resistance in the Middle East.
Barzani, with the support of the United States, the Zionist regime and some Arab P-Gulf states, is trying to exploit this opportunity in his own interest, exploiting the internal situation in Iraq and the process of fighting ISIL terrorists and the weakness of the central government in this country. The story of Iraq's disintegration, although backed by some international parties, is the red line of the most important regional powers, namely,
Iran and Turkey.
Over the past weeks, important meetings have been held by the Iranian delegation in Erbil and Sulaimaniyah to prevent the Kurds from falling into this trap and the crisis, while maintaining the reputation of the Kurds for building convergence and aligning their views with the central government of Baghdad. Sardar Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force, also met with a number of senior Kurdish officials.
Apparently, Americans have also expressed their opposition to the referendum on Iraqi Kurdistan. The British Coordinator, Brittany McGuire, has presented a roadmap for a decent departure from the crisis, but the head of the Kurdistan Region believes that accepting international projects is conditional on agreeing on unrealistic conditions, which is primarily in line with Barzanian familial ideals.
According to the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, Barzani considers the two-year postponement of the referendum conditional on United Nations monitoring to serious talks between Baghdad and Erbil, and the two-year extension of the Barzani presidency and the acquisition of oil wealth in the Kurdistan region during these two years and calls on Americans To protect them against any attack.
Barzani, in line with his ambition, had already tried to reach a deal with Heydar al-Abadi Which also failed in this regard. AlAkhbar writes He tried to secure his election as President of the country for two successive years, with the departure of the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Directorate, and the Kurdish Region's chairman will also address his son, Masroud Massoud Barzani, the adviser to the Regional Security Council of the Kurdistan.
A lot has been said about Barzani's efforts to break up Iraqi Kurdistan, based on Kurdish idealisations to form an independent state or an attempt to impose himself and his family on the Iraqi arena, but what is important in this regard. That these adventures can cost a lot on Kurdish hands. That is why some of the Kurdish movements have opposed Barzani's policies.
The main source of the referendum, which the central government of Iraq has repeatedly denied directly, is a violation of the Iraqi constitution and a step toward disintegration and instability in the country. Even the Iraqi parliament dismantled and set up a new person in a quick move to the governor of Kirkuk, who wanted to participate in the independence referendum. Following these actions, some of the official heads of Baghdad, including al-Abbadi, have suggested a possible military action to maintain the calm and stability of the country.
Sunni groups that have good relations with the Iraqi government have opposed the referendum. Other Sunni groups that diverge from the Iraqi government are also less likely to oppose the referendum. Shiite groups and movements that naturally opposed the referendum and somehow threatened Barzani with the addition of Kirkuk to the Kurdish territory.
The National Coalition also announced that the results of the referendum on the independence of the Kurdish region scheduled for September 25th will not be adopted due to its conflict with the constitution. The coalition's statement states that: The National Coalition delegation led by the National Coalition The head of Ammar Hakim hosted the National Coalition, a major issue in Iraq, namely the referendum on the independence of the Kurdish region. During the meeting, it was emphasized that the results of the referendum were not recognized by the constitution because they were unconstitutional and not documented by law. The meeting emphasized the importance of relying on a constitution for dialogue.
Hadi al-Ameri, senior commander of al-Hadid al-Sha'abi, also warned Massoud Barzani about the possibility of a civil war in the country due to a referendum on the separation of the Kurdistan region. "We are opposed to any kind of dismemberment of Iraq and also against the creation of regional and tribal regions in the country," al-Amari said. If there is a genuine intention, an agreement between Baghdad and Erbil is possible.
Also, Iraqi Vice President Nouri Maliki criticized Barzani's move and said: "We will not allow the formation of the second Israeli. Another Iraqi source also emphasized that the common interest between Erbil and Tel Aviv is very high at all levels of political and economic, military and security. If the Kurdish government is formed, like the Zionist regime, it will become a cancerous tumor.
The Kurdish referendum also has opposition, even among the parties involved in this region. Turkmen groups, including Sunnis and Shiites, and Christians in these areas are opposed to the referendum. The Kurd Guran movement (change), the Islamic alliance and the Islamic community also want postponement of the referendum. The opposition to these three is mainly due to their attitude toward the Democratic Party and the personality of Massoud Barzani, and in no way should this opposition be viewed as opposed to the principle of independence. The three Kurdish actors want a postponement of the referendum.
At the regional level, the reactions to the referendum should be examined with respect to Iraq's neighbors. The Kurdistan region is geographically located in an area where its neighbors, Iran, Turkey and Syria have a common border with the Kurdish region, with Kurdish population in the common border area, which any change in Iraqi Kurdistan can affect these areas. Therefore, it will not be difficult for neighboring countries to oppose the change of geography and conduct a referendum for security reasons and stability in their border regions. The three countries of Iran, Turkey and Syria have opposed the referendum. The Arab League has condemned it.
The other side is the West, and especially the United States, all of whom have adopted an opposing position. The United States, which has always been a supporter of Kurdistan's independence, does not consider the current situation a good time for independence in the region, and has asked the parties to resolve their problems in the form of a dialogue, and even by presenting an alternative plan of referendum.
At the transnational level, the European Union and its prominent countries are opposed to the referendum and want to postpone it.
On the other hand, the clear position of Iranian officials in the referendum is a clear sign for Barzani. Ali Shamkhani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, said: Iran definitely merely recognizes the unified, federal government of Iraq.
Referring to the unchanging position of the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding the necessity of maintaining territorial integrity and territorial unity in Iraq, he added: Any damage to this strategic principle will lead to a serious rethinking of the existing cooperation between Iran and the Kurdistan region of Iraq.
Shamkhani stated the legitimacy of the passages and border crossings of the Islamic Republic of Iran with the regions of the Kurdistan region of Iraq solely is because of the region considered as part of a unified Iraq, and stated that the border agreements remained solely centered on the central government of Iraq and the separation of the Kurdistan region from the central government of Iraq will lead to blocking all cross-border passages and boundaries.
In another part of his remarks, referring to the existence of military and security agreements between Iran and the Kurdistan region of Iraq, he noted: the separation of the Kurdistan region from Iraq will mean the end of all these agreements, and then Iran in the framework of security of borders Jointly rethinking its approach to counteracting the presence and activity of the Iranian counterrevolution in parts of the Iraqi Kurdistan, it will reciprocate in a completely different way from the past.
Shemkhani stressed the need for continued dialogue to resolve existing issues and revise the decision-making process, adding that there is still enough time for Iraqi Kurdish officials to respond to benevolent invitations aimed at securing the interests of the Kurdish community and the Iraqi state and preventing the formation of trends. There are security guards in the area.
Erdogan, on the other hand, implicitly threatened Barzani: "
Let's be clear, we have always defended Iraq's territorial integrity." We expressed our support for Iraqi territorial integrity when nobody did this. This referendum should not be held. They live together in Iraq as Arabs, Turks and Kurds.
"How can we accept such a referendum as Turkey when we have a 350-kilometer border with Iraq?" He added. Iran and the federal government are also opposed to this referendum. So how can we make such a decision solely to identify yourself and as a region in northern Iraq. We do not accept this decision. We will never allow the fragmentation of Iraq, and the referendum is a mistake.
Thank you president of Turkey!!!
@HAKIKAT @tesla @TheCamelGuy
This is the ground reality , hakikat. Not what you mention as annexation of Iraqi lands