KurdistanregionofIraq

The Kurdistan parliament is the only legitimate entity that should decide on conducting a referendum on independence of Kurdistan region of Iraq, the Gorran (Change) movement said in a statement released. The Gorran statement expressed concerns about the referendum being used by political parties as a screen to avoid addressing serious issues in the Region. “Taking steps towards Kurdistan independence should not be used as a means to avoid resolving the problems of Kurdish people and political auctions”. Instead, the party insisted that after conducting the referendum, practical steps must be taken to declare the independence of Kurdistan and providing the basics of a “citizenship state, legislation-oriented and national establishment”. The KDP and PUK formed a joint committee on Sunday to deal with the referendum issue, beginning with unifying political conversations through meetings with other political parties. The committee met the Islamic League (Komal), the Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU), and the Kurdistan Communist Party in Erbil on Monday to begin work to remove barriers for the referendum, which is expected to be held this year. Gorran has refused to meet with the KDP-PUK joint committee.