madaresharghi [1]
Iraqi Kurdish leader Massud Barzani on Saturday delayed a scheduled news conference on a controversial independence referendum he has called as international pressure mounts for a postponement.
There has been uncertainty about whether the vote will go ahead on Monday as the United States, Iran and Turkey have stepped up their opposition, AFP wrote.
“The news conference will take place on Sunday and the time and venue will be announced later,” Barzani’s office said without elaborating.
On Friday, the Iraqi Kurdish leader had insisted that the vote would be held as planned, despite a warning from the UN Security Council that it was “potentially destabilizing.”
“The referendum is no longer in my hands, nor is it in those of the (political) parties — it is in your hands,” Barzani told a large crowd at a football stadium in Erbil, capital of the semiautonomous Kurdish region.
But behind the scenes negotiations are still taking place aimed at persuading Barzani to postpone any referendum, according to officials close to the discussions.
Meanwhile, a Kurdistan Regional Government delegation headed to Baghdad on Saturday to conduct dialogue with the Iraqi government in tandem with the planned referendum, a Kurdish official said.
“The delegation will discuss the referendum but the referendum is still happening,” Hoshiyar Zebari, a top adviser to Barzani, told Reuters. “We said we would talk to Baghdad before, during and after the referendum.”
Turkey also said on Saturday it would take security and other steps in response to the plebiscite that it called a “terrible mistake.”
The federal government in Baghdad is opposed to the referendum, which it has called unconstitutional.
On Thursday, the UN Security Council urged “dialogue and compromise” to address differences between the Iraqi government and the regional authorities.
It also said the vote could weaken the military campaign against Daesh, “in which Kurdish forces have played a critical role.”