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Watch GagruleLive take on Barzani referendum gamble fails as Iraqi forces retake Kirkuk Video

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Photo by www.gagrule.net

Despite Kurdish Peshmerga resistance Iraqi security troops and predominantly Shiite Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) have taken back the key security outposts, including Kirkuk airport and Baba gargar oil field, occupied by the Kurds in 2014.

Kurdish sources report uninterrupted pumping of oil, but fears of oil supply interruption from the second largest OPEC producer have already affected the prices which have registered a slight rise on global markets.

However unpleasant the current situation is for the Kurdish KRG leadership, the timing of the referendum was clearly wrong, and it lacked any substantial foreign support which would have given its cause some legitimacy and chance of success.

While the global powers have many important differences when it comes to the Iraqi and Syrian conflict, there is one issue in Iraq where nearly all have concurring opinions – country’s territorial integrity and the priority of fighting terrorism.

Kurdish president Barzani’s decision to go ahead with the referendum at such an inopportune time has backfired today. Beside failing to gain international support for the Kurdish cause it has created further divisions within Iraqi Kurds. The coming Iraqi elections will probably cost Barzani his power position for good, and could – under the right outcome – fortify Abadi’s position in next year’s elections and help form the stable new Iraqi government in the immediate post-ISIS era – a great and crucial achievement from the regional stability perspective.

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Kurdistan: Barzani Referendum Gamble Fail and led to Erdogan marriage of convenience with Iraq

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By Wally Sarkeesian,

Another Erdogan successful False-Flag Operation, Erdogan betting on the new marriage of convenience with Iraq will get him $100 Billion Mosul Reconstruction Project.

Fall of Kirkuk shows referendum leading to less, not more authority for Kurds in Iraq.

Some Kurd began by asking Barzani resignation.

Monday’s fall of Kirkuk made plain the one tangible result of the independence referendum Iraqi Kurdish authorities organized last month against international advice: It endangered the very survival of existing Kurdish autonomy.

The Iraqi federal government’s lightning military operation to seize the Kurdish-held city and the surrounding oil fields was the latest in a series of steps Baghdad has taken to chip away at Kurdistan’s freedoms in the aftermath of the Sept. 25 referendum.

 

Should Barzani resign?

 

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During an interview with Sputnik, Hossein Sheikholislam, claimed Israel initiated the Kurdistan referendum.

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Commenting on the results of last month’s independence referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan during an interview with Sputnik, Hossein Sheikholislam, an advisor to the Iranian Foreign Ministry, pointed the finger at Israel, which he claimed initiated the referendum.

He said that the idea of Iraqi Kurdistan’s independence was floated by Israel, which “wants to achieve the disintegration of a number of states through their fragmentation on a national basis.”

“This plan stipulates that part of the territories in the Middle East should go to maroons and druses, while other territories should be taken by Jews. One of the first steps in implementing this plan was a referendum on the independence of Iraqi Kurdistan,” Hossein Sheikholislam said.

As for President of Iraqi Kurdistan Masoud Barzani, he is most likely supported by Israel, according to Sheikholislam.

“Israel is doing its best to exacerbate tensions in the region and now that the fight against Daesh is coming to a close, Tel Aviv he wants to play a national card to create new conflicts and destabilization,” he pointed out.

Sheikholislam said that all of the countries in the region should unite in order to prevent this scenario.

He described Iraqi Kurdistan’s independence referendum as an illegal event which is out of line with Iran’s constitution and international law.

Sheikholislam reiterated that the referendum was endorsed by Israel and fully meets its geopolitical interests in the region. He also warned of far-reaching consequences for the referendum.

“This pertains to all neighboring countries and taking into account what happened, Iran, Syria, Iraq and Turkey should join their efforts to prevent ethnic separatism and attempts to split the Middle East,” he concluded.

Late last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that his country has no links to the referendum on Iraqi Kurdistan’s independence but sympathizes with the Kurds’ independence drive.

Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed that Israel was the only country that supported and recognized the Kurdish referendum in Iraq, adding that the Israeli intelligence services had allegedly helped the organizers of the referendum.

The independence referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan was held on September 25.

According to the official results of Kurdistan’s Independent High Elections and Referendum Commission, 92.7 percent of the voters cast their ballots in support of Iraqi Kurdistan’s independence from Baghdad.

The vote has been harshly criticized not only by Iraq itself, but also by a number of other countries, including Iran and the United States.

Source: https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201710021057860943-iraqi-kurdistan-independence-referendum-israel/

 

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Erdogan says Israel’s Mossad spy agency has played a role in the recent Kurdish independence referendum

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks at a meeting in Istanbul on September 25, 2017. (Photo by the Turkish Presidential Press Service)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Israel’s Mossad spy agency has played a role in the recent Kurdish independence referendum in northern Iraq.

During a televised speech in the eastern Turkish city of Erzurum on Saturday, Erdogan expressed sorrow that Iraqi Kurds had acclaimed the recent independence referendum with Israeli flags.

“This shows one thing, that this administration (in northern Iraq) has a history with Mossad, they are hand-in-hand together,” Erdogan said.

“Are you aware of what you are doing? Only Israel supports you,” he added.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) held a non-binding referendum on secession from Iraq in defiance of Baghdad’s stiff opposition on September 25. Kurdish officials said over 90 percent of voters said ‘Yes’ to separation from Iraq.

While much of the international community, including the UN, the European Union and Iraq’s neighbors, has opposed the referendum, Israel has been the only entity to openly support an independent Kurdish state, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backing “the legitimate efforts of the Kurdish people to attain a state” of their own.

Erdogan vowed that Iraq’s Kurdistan “will pay a price” for the “unacceptable” independence referendum.

“An independent state is not being founded in northern Iraq, but on the contrary a continuously bleeding wound is being opened,” he said.

“To ignore this reality benefits neither us, nor our Kurdish brothers in Iraq,” Erdogan said, urging Iraqi Kurds to “wake up from this dream” of independence.

Ankara has threatened a series of punitive measures against Iraqi Kurds, including shutting the land border between Turkey and the region and stopping the transit of oil from Iraqi Kurdistan to the southern Turkish port of Ceyhan.

Turkish carriers Turkish Airlines, Atlas and Pegasus suspended their flights to Iraqi Kurdistan for an unspecified period of time on Friday.

Before the Kurdish referendum, Ankara was boosting its trade ties with Iraq’s Kurdistan region, with Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani becoming a frequent visitor to Turkey.

In 2016, the business boom with Iraqi Kurds made Iraq, including the Kurdish region, the second-largest market for Turkish exports after Germany.

However, economists have warned that closure of Habur border gate between Turkey and Iraq’s Kurdistan could undermine the $7billion trade between Ankara and Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan region.

After the Monday referendum, the Baghdad government ordered the KRG to hand over its international airports in Erbil, and the city of Sulaymaniyah, as well as its border crossings.

It also asked the KRG to either cancel the result of the plebiscite or face potential sanctions, international isolation, and military intervention.

A ban on international flights into and out of the Iraqi Kurdish region also took effect on Friday.

The KRG has refused to either hand over the airports and land terminals or annul the outcome of the vote.

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Catalonia, Madrid ramp up rhetoric ahead of contested independence referendum

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Catalonia, Madrid ramp up rhetoricSpanish police have blocked off more than half of the designated polling places ahead of Sunday’s vote, officials say. Groups of activists are camping out at schools across the region and insist the vote will go ahead.

he Spanish government said on Saturday that families were occupying 163 schools in Catalonia and added that 1,300 of 2,315 designated voting stations have been sealed off by police.

Supporters of Catalan independence on Friday evening and Saturday morning occupied polling stations, setting the scene for possible confrontations with police.

Spanish Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis called Catalonia plan to hold an independence referendum is “a mockery of democracy.”

Catalonia’s government said it had set up hundreds of polling stations across the northeastern region ahead of Sunday’s vote, despite Madrid declaring the vote illegal.

“Everything is prepared at the more than 2,000 voting points so they have ballot boxes and voting slips, and have everything people need to express their opinion,” Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont told Reuters news agency on Friday.

Spain’s central government, bolstered by a Constitutional Court ruling declaring the referendum invalid, has vowed to block the unauthorized poll.

“I insist that there will be no referendum on Oct. 1,” central government spokesman Inigo Mendez de Vigo told a news conference Friday. “Nobody is above the law and whoever violates them will face consequences.”

Spain’s constitution stipulates that only the federal government has the power to call a referendum on sovereignty.

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Iraqi Kurdistan Referendum, Conversation with Dr. Alon Ben-Meir, Senior Fellow at NYU’s Center for Global Affairs “Video”

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Dr. Alon Ben-Meir, Senior Fellow at NYU’s Center for Global Affairs and Senior Fellow at the World Policy Institute.”

Topic Iraqi Kurdistan Referendum: GagruleLive on FAcebook
Conversation with “Dr. Alon Ben-Meir, Senior Fellow at NYU’s Center for Global Affairs and Senior Fellow at the World Policy Institute.” and Wally Sarkeesian Founder.

Erdogan war drums are beating. The tanks are lined up on the border. The threats are loud and fierce. Economic reprisals are promised. is Erdogan threat series or bluffing?

Alliance in Middle East change by days, 

  • who will stop Turkey for going into Iraq and annexing Kurdistan?
  • why Israel supporting kurd independence while Israel has his own problem with Palestine?
  • will Russia and USA eventually recognize Kurdistan?
  • will Kurd stop at Iraqi border?
  • Have look at Kurdish map expansion they even put claim on the Armenia?
  • did Kurd ever had a country or even a kingdom?

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Barzani releases statement on independence referendum

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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (K24) – Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani released a statement regarding the independence referendum and the right to self-determination.

In the statement, Barzani said, “Self-determination is a natural right that cannot be denied.”

“In the past few days a number of local politicians and officials from regional countries made false and unfair statements about the rights of Kurdish people,” he continued.

The President also said that the existence of a Kurdish state in the Middle East is a reality, that can determine its rights.

“Self-determination is a natural right granted by God; this right should not be denied or prevented under any pretext or justification,” Barzani said.

“If the people of Kurdistan wait for others to grant them the right to independence, it will never be achieved,” he stated.

Referring to Sykes-Picot Agreement, Barzani said that dividing the Middle East without considering the original people of the region was a failed policy. “The rights of Kurdish people should not be sacrificed for political interests,” he added.

The President also said that the time has come and the opportunity is ideal for the people of Kurdistan to determine their future through a referendum.

“The referendum will be held through peaceful dialogue and understanding,” Barzani stated.

Additionally, he mentioned that the Kurdistan Region has never been a threat to anyone and neither will independence.

Barzani concluded that the referendum does not mean an immediate declaration of independence, rather for the people of Kurdistan to determine their will. Likewise, he said that it is an opportunity for the political leadership in Kurdistan to implement people’s will.

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Iraqi Kurdistan referendum: High turnout in independence vote

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Large numbers of people have taken part in a landmark vote on independence for Iraq’s Kurdistan region, amid growing opposition both at home and abroad.

Votes are still being counted, with a big victory for “yes” expected.

Kurds say it will give them a mandate to negotiate secession, but Iraq’s PM denounced it as “unconstitutional”.

Neighbours Turkey and Iran, fearing separatist unrest in their own Kurdish minorities, threatened to close borders and impose sanctions on oil exports.

The US state department said it was “deeply disappointed” that the vote went ahead.

“We believe this step will increase instability and hardships for the Kurdistan region and its people,” spokeswoman Heather Nauert said.

The referendum passed off peacefully across the three provinces that make up the region, and in areas controlled by Kurdish forces but claimed by Baghdad.

Turnout was estimated at about 72%, according to the electoral commission.

Partial unofficial results published by the Kurdish Rudaw website show that more than 90% have voted for independence.

There were scenes of celebration as the polls closed in the regional capital, Irbil, and in the disputed city of Kirkuk, where a curfew was imposed on Monday night amid fears of unrest.

There was some opposition to the vote among non-Kurdish populations in disputed areas between the Kurdish and Iraqi governments. In Kirkuk, the local ethnic Arab and Turkmen communities had called for a boycott

The vote is being closely watched not only in Iraq but elsewhere in the region because its implications could reshape the Middle East, the BBC’s Orla Guerin in Irbil reports.

Turkey and Iran fear the impact this could have on their own Kurdish communities, our correspondent adds.

In Istanbul, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described the vote as “unacceptable” and threatened to close the Iraqi Kurds’ vital oil export pipeline.

“We have the tap. The moment we close the tap, then it’s done,” he was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying.

He also said his country could close completely the sole border crossing with the region. Traffic there, he said, was currently only being allowed to cross from the Turkish side.

Late on Monday, Iraqi and Turkish officials announced they would hold joint military drills in Turkey in an area bordering the Kurdish region of Iraq.

Iran called the vote “illegal”, having banned all flights to and from the Kurdish region a day earlier.

UN Secretary General António Guterres expressed concern about the “potentially destabilising effects” of the vote.

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Kurds press historic independence vote despite regional fears

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ERBIL, Iraq (Reuters) – Iraqi Kurds are expected to vote on Monday to back an independence drive that neighboring countries and Western powers fear could break up the country and stir broader regional ethnic and sectarian conflict.

Kurdish red-white-green tricolors set with a blazing golden sun adorn cars and buildings throughout the semi-autonomous northern Kurdistan region. Billboards exhort “the time is now – say ‘yes’ to a free Kurdistan!”

Massoud Barzani, president of the Kurdish region since 2005, has resisted efforts by the United Nations, the United States and Britain to delay the referendum. Neighboring Turkey is holding army border exercises to underline its concerns Iraqi Kurdish separatism could feed insurrection on its soil.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on live television on Friday the vote posed a threat to national security and Ankara “will do what is necessary” to protect itself. He did not elaborate.

But Hoshyar Zebari, a senior advisor to Barzani, told Reuters: “This is the last five meters of the final sprint and we will be standing our ground.”

Many Kurds see the vote, though non-binding, as a historic opportunity to achieve self-determination a century after Britain and France divided the Middle East under the Sykes-Picot agreement. That arrangement left 30 million Kurds scattered over Iran, Turkey, Syria and Iraq.

Zebari said delaying the vote without guarantees it could be held on a binding basis after negotiations with Baghdad would be ”political suicide for the Kurdish leadership and the Kurdish dream of independence.

“An opportunity my generation won’t see again”.

The referendum raises most risk of ethnic conflict in the oil city of Kirkuk, which lies outside the recognized boundaries of the Kurdish region and is claimed by Baghdad. Its population includes Arabs and Turkmen but it is dominated by Kurds.

Turkey has long claimed a special responsibility in protecting ethnic Turkmen. Some of Iraq’s Turkmen are Shi‘ite and affiliated to political parties close to Iran.

‘‘We expect those who are against the referendum to cause trouble but we are determined not to engage in any kind of violence, we don’t want to  give them any excuse to intervene or to question the validity of the vote,’’ Zebari said.

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Armen Navasardyan: Great powers oppose Kurdish referendum amid worries of spillover

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The Iraqi Kurdistan has received de facto independence since 1992, yet the status was never documented de jure, Ambassador Arman Navasardyan told reporters on Tuesday, commenting on the upcoming referendum declared by Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government and a bid to become a subject of international law.

Navasardyan reminded that great powers voice strong objections to the referendum planned on September 25.

“We know about the existence of four Kurdish enclaves – in Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey. All of those countries fear the ‘domino effect’ of the referendum that the vote can provoke spillover effect on regional countries and bolster separatist movements,” the diplomat said, adding the referendum conduct is still under threat amid the growing disturbances especially from Turkey and the accumulation of forces at the Iraqi border.

To remind, Kurds are the fourth-largest ethnic group in the Middle East but they have never obtained a permanent nation state. In Iraq, where they make up an estimated 15% to 20% of the population of 37 million. Three months ago, top officials and political parties in the Kurdistan Regional Government agreed to hold an advisory referendum on independence, strongly rejected by Iraqi government.

 

Source Panorama.am
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