This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-41794083

The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani 'to resign' Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani to step down
(about 5 hours later)
Iraqi Kurdish president Massoud Barzani is to resign, reports say, as the fallout from the region's independence referendum continues. Iraqi Kurdish president Massoud Barzani is to step down as the region wrestles with Baghdad over independence.
Kurds voted overwhelmingly last month for Kurdistan to secede but Iraq's central government insists the referendum was illegal. In a letter read to the Kurdish parliament, Mr Barzani said he would not seek an extension to his term which had been due to end in four days.
"I ask parliament to meet to fill the vacancy in power", he said.
Kurds voted last month for Kurdistan to secede but Iraq's central government insists the referendum was illegal.
Iraq's army then launched an assault on the Kurdish-held city of Kirkuk, seizing the area's rich oil fields.Iraq's army then launched an assault on the Kurdish-held city of Kirkuk, seizing the area's rich oil fields.
Mr Barzani's current term had been due to end in four days. Mr Barzani said he would remain a Peshmerga, or Kurdish fighter, and would "continue to defend the achievements of the people of Kurdistan".
The region's deputy parliamentary speaker, Jaafar Imniki, told Kurdish news channels a letter by Mr Barzani would be read out in parliament on Sunday. Kurdish media said it will be a letter of resignation.
Reuters news agency said Mr Barzani's letter outlines how the president's powers should now be divided among government institutions.
The 71-year-old's dream of Kurdish independence has been left in tatters in the wake of the referendum on 25 September, despite wide support within the region to see it break away.The 71-year-old's dream of Kurdish independence has been left in tatters in the wake of the referendum on 25 September, despite wide support within the region to see it break away.
He has held office since 2005, having played a prominent role in creating an autonomous Kurdish state in northern Iraq after Saddam Hussein fell. He held office from 2005, having played a prominent role in creating an autonomous Kurdish state in northern Iraq after Saddam Hussein fell.
Barzani went on to win another presidential election in 2009, and his term was extended in 2013.Barzani went on to win another presidential election in 2009, and his term was extended in 2013.
After losing territory around Kirkuk to the central government, Mr Barzani had faced calls to stand down by opponents in the Kurdistan Region. After losing territory around Kirkuk to the central government, Mr Barzani faced calls to stand down by opponents in the Kurdistan Region.
Presidential and parliamentary elections due for 1 November were suspended when the Kirkuk assault started.Presidential and parliamentary elections due for 1 November were suspended when the Kirkuk assault started.
Who is Massoud Barzani?
He was born in August 1946 in the short-lived Kurdish Republic of Mahabad in Iran.
On the same day, his father Mustafa Barzani, who led the republic's army, founded the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).
Following the collapse of the republic, Mustafa Barzani - a much-revered figure in the Kurdish national movement - fled to the Soviet Union. Massoud later returned to Iraq and lived with his grandfather in Mosul.
He took control of the KDP on his father's death in 1979, and escaped an assassination attempt in Vienna the same year.
In 2014, after ordering his Peshmerga forces to join the fight against Islamic State militants, he was named a runner-up in Time magazine's Person of the Year prize.