Arab League rejects Kurdish independence vote, calls it illegal

The Arab League has rejected an upcoming voting on Iraqi Kurdistan’s independence an illegal measure that would pose further threats to security in the already volatile Middle East, senior Iraqi officials say.

Permanent Representative of Iraq to the Arab League Habib Sadr said on Wednesday that the pan-Arab body’s foreign ministers considered “the referendum illegal and inconsistent with the Constitution of Iraq” during their recent meeting in Cairo, Egypt.

“The ministers decided to support the territorial integrity of Iraq and assumed that this referendum posed a threat not only to the unity of Iraq but also to the security in the whole region,” Sadr added.

Sadr implied that some Arab states feared that the Iraqi Kurdistan’s independence might trigger similar acts outside Iraq and lead to uncontrollable processes in the Middle East.

Masoud Barzani, the president of Iraq’s Kurdistan region, has set September 25 as the date for the voting on the region’s independence from Iraq, prompting criticism from the central government in Baghdad, the international community and Iraq’s neighbors.

Meanwhile, Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jafari, who was present at the Arab League summit, warned on Wednesday that Kurdish leaders should think carefully before going ahead with any independence move.

In a statement on Wednesday, Iraq’s Foreign Ministry said the Arab League unanimously rejected the upcoming Kurdish plebiscite during its recent meeting.

“Iraq’s constitution must be respected and Iraq’s unity must be completely preserved for security of the region,” the pan-Arab body was quoted as saying by Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Jamal.

On Tuesday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi slammed the planned vote as “unconstitutional,” calling on the Kurdish leadership to come to Baghdad and conclude a dialogue.”

The premier’s remarks came after Iraqi House of Representatives voted to reject a poll on Kurdish regional independence.

SS