عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Abadi Rejects Kurdish Offer, Demands Annulment of Referendum to Resume Talks

Iranian Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri welcomes al-Abadi in Tehran during his visit in 2014 [AP]
Iranian Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri welcomes al-Abadi in Tehran during his visit in 2014 [AP]
    Baghdad, Irbil - Asharq Al-Awat
TT
TT

Abadi Rejects Kurdish Offer, Demands Annulment of Referendum to Resume Talks

Iranian Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri welcomes al-Abadi in Tehran during his visit in 2014 [AP]
Iranian Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri welcomes al-Abadi in Tehran during his visit in 2014 [AP]

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi rejected on Thursday a Kurdish proposal to freeze the referendum on independence in the Kurdistan Region and said “only a complete annulment of the referendum and the respect of the constitution” would allow the resumption of talks between Baghdad and Irbil.

Abadi was speaking Thursday from Iran following a regional tour that involved Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and Turkey, in the framework of a campaign to gather support for his position against the referendum.

The Iraqi prime minister met with President Hassan Rouhani and Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who expressed his country’s reservations regarding the presence of cooperation between Baghdad and Washington, while he supported the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq, asserting that it was an important country in the Arab world.

On Wednesday, the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) suggested to freeze the outcome of the referendum and open talks with Baghdad and to immediately stop military operations in the Kurdish region.

At the battlefield, clashes raged on Thursday between the Iraqi forces and Peshmerga fighters in northern Iraq, leaving one leading Kurdish official dead.

The UN Security Council expressed concern over the latest developments between Baghdad and Irbil, affirming its support for the unity of the Iraqi territories.

Kurdish sources said that Peshmerga forces confronted on Thursday attacks launched by the Iraqi forces and armed members from the Hashd al-Shaabi and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards on western and eastern Mosul and southern Irbil.

The Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC) reported the attacks on Peshmerga positions by Iraqi forces and Hashed militias backed by Iran.

"Iraqi and Iranian-backed PMF [Popular Mobilization Forces] are shelling Peshmerga positions from Zummar, North West of Mosul. Now advancing," the Kurdistan's security council tweeted on Thursday.

It said both Hashd commanders Hadi al-Amri and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis were supervising the attacks against the people of the Kurdistan Region.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
TT
TT

US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)

The United States is deferring the removal of certain Lebanese citizens from the country, President Joe Biden said on Friday, citing humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon amid tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.

The deferred designation, which lasts 18 months, allows Lebanese citizens to remain in the country with the right to work, according to a memorandum Biden sent to the Department of Homeland Security.

"Humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon have significantly deteriorated due to tensions between Hezbollah and Israel," Biden said in the memo.

"While I remain focused on de-escalating the situation and improving humanitarian conditions, many civilians remain in danger; therefore, I am directing the deferral of removal of certain Lebanese nationals who are present in the United States."

Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have been trading fire since Hezbollah announced a "support front" with Palestinians shortly after its ally Hamas attacked southern Israeli border communities on Oct. 7, triggering Israel's military assault in Gaza.

The fighting in Lebanon has killed more than 100 civilians and more than 300 Hezbollah fighters, according to a Reuters tally, and led to levels of destruction in Lebanese border towns and villages not seen since the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.

On the Israeli side, 10 Israeli civilians, a foreign agricultural worker and 20 Israeli soldiers have been killed. Tens of thousands have been evacuated from both sides of the border.