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Iraq Orders Kurdistan to Surrender Its Airports Iraq Orders Kurdistan to Surrender Its Airports
(35 minutes later)
ERBIL, Iraq — Angered by a Kurdish vote on independence, Iraq’s prime minister on Tuesday gave the country’s Kurdish region until Friday to surrender control of its two international airports or face a flight shutdown. ERBIL, Iraq — Iraq’s prime minister, angered by a vote on independence by his nation’s Kurdish minority, on Tuesday gave the country’s Kurdish region until Friday to surrender control of its two international airports or face a shutdown of international flights.
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, speaking one day after a controversial vote in Iraqi Kurdistan, said humanitarian and other “urgent” flights would be exempt from the ban. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, speaking the day after a controversial vote in Iraqi Kurdistan, said humanitarian and other “urgent” flights would be exempt from the ban.
The Kurdistan Regional Government antagonized Iraq, Turkey and Iran by holding the referendum on Monday. The results of the vote have not yet been announced but it was expected go overwhelmingly in favor of seeking independence from Iraq. The Kurdistan Regional Government antagonized Iraq, Turkey and Iran by holding the referendum on Monday. The results have not yet been announced, but the Kurdish government said on Tuesday that the vote had gone overwhelmingly in favor of independence from Iraq.
A “yes” vote would not lead to immediate independence for the semiautonomous region, but it would direct the regional government to begin the process of creating an independent state, including negotiating a separation with Baghdad.A “yes” vote would not lead to immediate independence for the semiautonomous region, but it would direct the regional government to begin the process of creating an independent state, including negotiating a separation with Baghdad.
Iraqi officials, however, have called the referendum unconstitutional and has refused to negotiate with the Kurdish leadership. The Iraqis fear losing a third of the country — and a major source of oil — should Kurdistan break away. Iraqi officials have called the referendum unconstitutional and have refused to negotiate with the Kurdish leadership. The Iraqis fear losing a third of the country and a major source of oil should Kurdistan break away.
Turkey and Iran feared that a move toward independence by the Iraqi Kurds would inflame separatist fervor among their Kurdish minorities. The United States also opposed the vote, worried that it could set off ethnic conflict, break up Iraq and undermine the American-led coalition against the Islamic State. Mr. Abadi said his government had decided to demand control of the airports because the referendum had “destabilized” the region. Referring to the Kurdish leadership, he added, “Unfortunately, some have tried to weaken Iraq and be stronger than the state.”
Both Turkey and Iran have threatened sanctions against the Kurdish region, including possible flight bans and the closing of border crossings. Turkish and Iraqi troops are conducting military exercises on Iraq’s northern border near Kurdistan, and Iranian forces are carrying out similar maneuvers on its border with Iraq. “We are partners in this country, and the partnership means we work together and don’t carry out unilateral decisions that lead to division and conflict and weakness,” Mr. Abadi said.
The Kurdish regional government, which has its own parliament and military force, operates international airports in its capital, Erbil, and in the northern city of Sulaimaniyah. There was no immediate response by leaders of the Kurdistan Regional Government. In an address in Erbil on Tuesday night, Massoud Barzani, the region’s president, referred indirectly to Mr. Abadi’s ultimatum.
“We ask the Baghdad government not to threaten the Kurds because of the referendum,” he said. He urged the Iraqi government to enter negotiations and to respect what he said was the will of the Kurdish people to seek a nation of their own.
He added that the referendum had been approved by a wide margin, though he did not provide figures. The Kurdish authorities are expected to announce the vote results on Wednesday.
Turkey and Iran fear that a move toward independence by the Iraqi Kurds will inflame separatist fervor among their countries’ Kurdish minorities. Videos on social media showed Kurds in at least two Iranian cities celebrating the Iraqi Kurds’ vote.
The United States also opposed the vote, worried that it could set off ethnic conflict, break up Iraq and undermine the American-led coalition against the Islamic State.
Both Turkey and Iran have threatened sanctions against the Kurdish region, including the closing of border crossings. Turkish and Iraqi troops are conducting military exercises on Iraq’s northern border near Kurdistan, and Iranian forces are carrying out similar maneuvers on Iraq’s eastern border.
The Kurdish regional government, which has its own parliament and military force, operates international airports in its capital, Erbil, and in the northern city of Sulaimaniyah. There is no domestic Kurdish airline in the autonomous region.
Iraq asked other countries last week to halt flights into the Kurdish region, but only Iran complied.
Mr. Abadi is expected to meet on Wednesday with the Iraqi Parliament, which has voted to request that Iraqi troops be sent to disputed areas that are controlled by the Kurds but claimed by Baghdad. The would include the multiethnic, oil-rich city of Kirkuk, which the Kurds seized in 2014.
As the Islamic State rose in northern Iraq in 2014, Kurdish fighters took advantage of the chaos, and in some cases of fleeing Iraqi troops, to expand the Kurdish territory by 40 percent.
Parliament has also requested that the government consider closing land crossings linking Iraqi Kurdistan and the rest of the country.
The move by Mr. Abadi was viewed in Kurdistan as the beginning of a campaign to pressure the region to back away from independence.The move by Mr. Abadi was viewed in Kurdistan as the beginning of a campaign to pressure the region to back away from independence.
For the Kurds, an independent state a long-held dream. When borders in the Middle East were redrawn after World War I, the Kurds were denied a homeland. About 30 million Kurds are spread across four countries: Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Iran. For the Kurds, an independent state has been a national aspiration for generations. When borders in the Middle East were redrawn after World War I, the Kurds were denied a homeland. About 30 million Kurds are spread across Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey.
For decades, Baathist-led governments in Baghdad tried to crush or evict the Kurds from their traditional lands, and to replace them with Arabs. But protected from Saddam Hussein’s troops by an American no-fly zone since 1991, the Kurds have since built a thriving proto-state across northern Iraq. For decades, Baathist-led governments in Baghdad tried to crush or evict the Kurds from their traditional lands and replace them with Arabs. But the Kurds were protected from Saddam Hussein’s troops by an American no-fly zone starting in 1991, and have since built a thriving proto-state across northern Iraq.