MESOP NEWS : Massoud Barzani says Kurds could consider delay of vote with guarantees

31 Aug 2017 – HEWLÊR-Erbil, Iraq’s Kurdistan region,— Massoud Barzani said a postponement to Kurdistan referendum on independence could be considered if the Iraqi government and the international community guaranteed the results of the referendum would be admitted.Barzani said in an interview with Asharq al-Awsat, published on Wednesday that this was just an opinion and the High Referendum Council will make the decision on the referendum.

Barzani asked whether the Iraqi government and the international community would admit the results of the referendum if it were postponed to September 25, 2018.“Such an alternative could be studied if they were ready to give such guarantee,” Barzani added. “Such guarantees should be first from the Iraqi government and the Iraqi parliament, and then with the guarantee of the United States and the international coalition as well as European Union and the United Nations.”

Barzani said regarding the prospect of a majority “No” vote in the referendum that he would respect the will of the people if they rejected the referendum on independence.

The Kurdistan Region’s political parties, not including Gorran Movement and the Kurdistan Islamic Group (KIG), came to an agreement on June 7 to hold a referendum on the region’s independence on September 25, 2017. The decision was slammed by Iraq, US, UK, EU, Russia, Germany, Turkey and Iran.

Barzani, whose term as President of Kurdistan expired on August 20, 2015 but refused to step down and remains unofficially in office and closed the parliament, also said that he will resign from his post if the people of Kurdistan vote ‘No’ in the referendum. He however said that he is expecting a high ‘Yes’ vote.

On August 20, Barzani 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.Analysts have little doubt that the September 25 referendum would result in a ‘Yes’ for an independent Kurdish state in northern Iraq. But the result would be non binding and leave the approximately five million Kurds of Iraqi Kurdistan some way away from actual independence. www.mesop.de