13 September, 2017
Iraq's Kurds plan to hold the referendum on September 25 in three governorates that make up their self-ruled region as well as disputed areas that are controlled by Kurdish forces but claimed by Baghdad, including the oil-rich province of Kirkuk.
The president of Iraqi Kurdistan said it will draw orders of a future Kurdish state if Baghdad refused to accept an independence referendum taking place later this month.
"Kirkuk will remain as safe and secure as it is now, kept safe by the peshmerga", Barzani said, referring to the Kurdish forces that control the city.
"Despite the respect both sides have for each other, there is still a trust deficit between Iraq's central government and the Kurdish region", he added. "We will not compromise Kirkuk's identity".
Barzani told a gathering of Kurds, Arabs and Turkmen in Kirkuk that the referendum was "a natural right", according to a tweet from his aide Hemin Hawrami.
Even many among the 5.5 million population in the Kurdish region have come out against the poll, saying it could disrupt the fight against Islamic State (IS) and other extremist groups. The announced referendum has been widely criticized by a number of countries, including the United States and Iraq.
Earlier the parliament in Baghdad authorized the prime minister to "take all measures" to preserve Iraq's unity.
Mohammed al-Karbouli, a Sunni Muslim lawmaker, said: "Kurdish lawmakers walked out of (Tuesday's) session but the decision to reject the referendum was passed by a majority". A breakdown for the vote was not immediately available.
The non-binding referendum planned for September 25 has faced strong opposition from neighbouring Iran and Turkey, which fear it will stoke separatist aspirations among their own sizeable Kurdish minorities.
At a news conference on Tuesday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said the Kurds were continuing to "illegally export" Kirkuk's oil, and he called for urgent talks.
