Representative of the region in Tehran: We do not want separation and the goal of the referendum pressure on Baghdad


An official in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) said in Tehran that a referendum on the independence of the region scheduled for next September is a negotiating tactic to pressure Baghdad to fulfill its promises on energy and power-sharing Nazim al-Dabbagh, who represents the Kurdistan Regional Government in Tehran, expressed his fears that Iraqi forces would attack Kurdish sites after the liberation of Mosul from a sympathetic organization.

He stressed that the Kurds of Iraq prefer to stay as part of Iraq, despite the call for a referendum on independence on 25 September.

"We are doing this (referendum) to solve our problems in Iraq," Dabbagh told AFP. So far, we have no intention of secession. "

"We do not feel that Iraq is accepting us, and that is why we seek to seize appropriate opportunities through diplomacy, parliament and the people to demand our rights and if they do not want to solve our problems, our people are ready to sacrifice," he said.

Dabbagh accused Baghdad of failing to fulfill its key promises included in Iraq's constitution in 2005, including resolving the status of Kirkuk, the city on the border between autonomous Kurdistan and the rest of Iraq.

Asked if he was concerned that the Iraqi army and Shiite popular mobilization forces could attack the Kurdistan region, he replied, "100 percent, that's what I'm afraid of."

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