U.N. asks Kurdistan to respect Iraqi court ruling on territorial unity
UN Special Representative Jan Kubis. File photo.
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) The United Nations has urged Iraqi Kurdistan Region to abide by an Iraqi court ruling which stressed on Iraq’s territorial unity and emphasized on the unconstitutionality of the region’s vote for independence.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) said in a statement on Tuesday it “takes note of the statement released by the Federal Court Spokesperson announcing that the High Federal Court in its session on 06 November 2017 issued a ruling clarifying Article 1 of the Constitution and noting that the court concluded that this article and other pertinent Constitutional articles have underlined the unity of Iraq”.
The court ruling had established that no text in the Constitution allows the secession of any of Iraq’s territorial components stipulated in therein.
According to UNAMI, “the Iraqi Government has confirmed its full commitment to the Constitution and the decisions of the Federal Court, including its full commitment to preserving the unity of Iraq”.
Kurdistan Region Government ran a popular referendum in September where it said 92 voted for independence from Iraq. The government in Baghdad has rejected the vote as unconstitutional, and replied with retaking territories where sovereignty is disputed with Erbil. The crisis, which saw world countries voicing rejection of the plebiscite, culminated in a resignation by Kurdistan’s president, Masoud Barzani, late October.