Iraq PM Demands Annulment of Kurdish Independence Vote

Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi demanded Wednesday that this week’s vote on ‘independence’ for the autonomous Kurdish region be annulled.

“The referendum must be annulled and dialogue initiated in the framework of the constitution. We will never hold talks on the results of the referendum,” he told Iraqi lawmakers.

“We will impose Iraqi law in the entire region of Kurdistan under the constitution,” he said.

The results of Monday’s referendum have not yet been announced.

Pressure has been mounting on the Kurds since the vote, not just from Baghdad but also from Tehran and Ankara, with Turkey threatening a range of measures including cutting off oil exports from the region.