No party owns project of independence referendum: Kurdish Official
The Secretary General of Kurdistan Socialist Democratic Party. Mohammed Haji Mahmoud.
Erbil (BasNews) The case of Kurdistan independence does not belong to any political party but it is a natural right of the people to decide on their fate, said the Secretary General of Kurdistan Socialist Democratic Party.
Mohammed Haji Mahmoud, who also serves as a commander of Kurdish Peshmerga forces, also urged the Kurdish political parties to stay united and support the will of the people on statehood.
On his party’s position, Mahmoud reiterated his full support for independence and welcomed any talks on preparations for a referendum this year.
Earlier this week, Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) agreed to intensify efforts and prepare the ground for independence referendum before the end of 2017. Following the meeting on Wednesday, they deployed a joint delegation to Baghdad to kick off the first phase of talks with the central government.
BasNews previously quoted the secretary of KDP politburo saying that they have met with the Iraqi parliament speaker who supports the referendum as a natural right of Kurds, but negotiations are said to be continuous.