Ambassador of the Republic of Iraq to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Dr Ali Yassin Mohammed Karim rejecting Kurdish Regional Government's (KRG) referendum asserted that states are not to be established on the basis of race as per the contemporary international system and failure to comply with these set standards, would earn such states the image of 'racist.'
"This referendum undermines the international efforts to combat terrorism, especially the fight against Daesh and, therefore, poses a threat not just to the regional stability and security but, also to countries in the surrounding region," Iraqi Ambassador said in a statement released by the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq in Islamabad on Friday.
Iraq's Kurdish citizens are part of Iraqi people; the efforts of the government are merely aimed at; deterring the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) from disintegrating Iraq's unity and to set out to the KRG, the steps that it firmly needs to take, to ensure that its territorial integrity remains preserved (cited by the Media Office of Iraqi Prime Minister), Dr Ali Yassin said.
Referring to the Iraqi constitution, the ambassador of Iraq said that the referendum was a flagrant violation of the Iraqi constitution, which was adopted in the year 2005 and which represents the social contract among all the components of the country and was voted by the Kurdish citizens with their own determination which was even, exceeded all other Iraqi provinces (Erbil 99.36%, Dohuk 99.13%, and Sulaimaniyah 98.96%). "A considerable number of Kurds are serving key positions in the Iraq; such as the likes of notably the Iraqi President, the Federal Parliament, the Ministerial Cabinet Members, Secretaries; the claim that the 'Kurdish Iraqis are being marginalized in the political sphere' is intuitively invalid," he said.
The international community recognized Kurdish Regional Government's (KRG) referendum as illegitimate, strongly opposed it's results, recognized a united Iraq; the decision of Arab League, Organization of Islamic Council, the positions and statements of the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia and other countries, including that of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, along with the other neighboring countries, he noted. "Iraqi government made futile attempts to convince/ persuade the KRG, whilst, hoping the KRG would retreat from this wrongful step, taken unilaterally, but in vain," Dr Ali Yassin Mohammed Karim.
He made it clear that the oil fields in Northern Iraq and in Kurdistan are part of Iraq's wealth and the federal government holds legitimate sovereign right over them and, henceforth, holds the right to include in the government's budget, the revenues drawn from them. The Kirkuk province is an integral part of Iraq's territory; KRG holds no legitimate right to claim the right to subdue it by force and impose a policy of the status quo.
He pointed out that dissenting opinions on the referendum were seen to have emerged among the Kurdish parties; notably revealed / reflected in the statements issued by them due to a clear-cut case of one-party dominance cautions. -PR