Iraqi Kurds lay the groundwork for Independence / VAN WILGENBURG

MESOP : THE DECISIVE MOMENT IN KURDISH HISTORY

By Erika Solomon in Erbil –  FINANCIAL TIMES – 30-7-2014 – The president of Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government called on the regional parliament to lay the legal groundwork for a popular referendum on independence as he ramps up efforts to secede from war-torn Iraq. Speaking in the KRG parliamentary chambers on Thursday, Kurdish president Masoud Barzani asked MPs to work as quickly as possible to enact a law to create an electoral commission for the poll.

If held, a referendum is widely expected to approve separating from Iraq, which is now grappling with a Sunni militant insurgency sweeping through regions south of Kurdistan.

“Forced unity will end up in division,” Mr Barzani said of the present crisis, in which both Kurds and Sunnis have been demanding greater government decentralisation. But he acknowledged the bid to secede was a bold move.

“The time has come for us to determine our own fate and not wait for others,” he told the parliamentary chamber, in televised comments. “We have many friends, but there may be some risks.”With the rest of Iraq mired in chaos, some Kurdish leaders have said the time is ripe to move forward with independence, in spite of powerful neighbours such as Iran and Turkey, who have long been wary such a move would encourage separatism among their own Kurdish populations. Turkey has shown more openness to independence in recent weeks, but Iran is firmly against the move.

Mr Barzani vowed to help Iraq find a way out of its crisis, but made it clear the region was unwilling to co-operate with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s government.“We will try to help our Shia and Sunni brothers get Iraq out of this crisis, but we need to deal with new people who have respect for the constitution and democracy,” he said

Tensions between Mr Barzani and Mr Maliki mean the central government can wield little pressure over the regional leader. Baghdad cut state funding to the region in January due to a dispute over oil exports.Some analysts have said the public calls for a referendum and independence may be a strategy to pressure the Shia Arab-led government in Baghdad to make concessions and force Mr Maliki to step down.

It is still not clear how quickly the KRG could hold a referendum, which may potentially drag on for months.“If the situation goes on like this without a deal on the government in Baghdad, they will press on for independence – they can say that well, Iraqi is now already divided. Unless Maliki gives big concessions, it will be difficult to get back the Kurds,” said Wladimir Van Wilgenburg, a Kurdistan analyst based in Erbil.

Many Kurds were expecting an official announcement of a referendum, or even independence on Thursday, so the call for legal steps suggests Kurdish politicians want to leave themselves room to manoeuvre in the event they can make a deal with Baghdad. “Independence is a historic dream but the issue still needs more study,” said Sherko Jawdat, an MP from the Kurdistan Islamic Union. “We will work as quickly as possible but it will take at least two to three months to set up the commission.”Mr Barzani also called for a referendum on Iraq’s “disputed territories”, which both Baghdad and the KRG claim as their own. Kurdish peshmerga forces seized the areas amid the Isis offensive – most significantly Kirkuk, which sits atop large oilfields that would help make the bid for independence economically viable. “It looks like the Kurds are moving to finish the issue of disputed territories on their own, without any involvement from Baghdad,” Mr Van Wilgenburg said. http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/6b53d218-02aa-11e4-a68d-00144feab7de.html#axzz38zXo82eB