Press TV - A senior Iranian official has warned that a plan by Iraqs semi-autonomous Kurdistan region to hold an independence referendum will weaken the entire Arab country.
Secretary of Irans Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani made the comment in a meeting in Tehran on Monday with deputy secretary general of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, Kosrat Rasul Ali, and the Chief of the Executive Body of the PUKs Political Bureau, Mala Bakhtiar.
Shamkhani said the independence plan would in fact put pressure on and isolateIraqi Kurds and weaken Kurdistan and eventuallyall of Iraq.
The Iranian official added that the plan wentagainstthe policies and initiatives of the Iraqi officials and wasnot a priority and requirement of the countrys people.
Shamkhani further noted that certain regional and extra-regional countries sought to undermine Iraq and big countries in the Middle East, stressing that such arrogant plots should be thwarted by remaining vigilant and paying attention to the interests of the nation and those of the Muslim world.
He said the Islamic Republic wishes security, economic development and prosperity for people, parties and groups in the north of Iraq whose realizationwould prevent the activities and spread of terrorist groups.
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="555"]
Secretary of Irans Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani (C) and the deputy secretary general of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, Kosrat Rasul Ali (C-L), meet in Tehran on July 17, 2017. (Photo by IRNA)[/caption]The president of Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government, Masoud Barzani, announced on Twitter in June that the northern territory would hold an independence referendum on September 25 not only in the three provinces that make up the Kurdish region, but also in the areas that were bone of contention between the Iraqi Kurdistan Region and the central government in Baghdad.
After the announcement, the Iraqi government issued a statement in response that it would reject any unilateral move by Kurdish regional authorities to press for independence.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on June 13 that the Kurdish minority's decision to hold an independence referendum wasuntimely.
"Every part of Iraq has aspirations and has a dream, and we respect that, even if we disagree with it. We live in one homeland and they are our partners," Abadi said.
Elsewhere in his remarks, the SNSC secretary further pointed to the liberation of the Iraqi northern city of Mosul from the grip of Daesh Takfiri terrorist group and said it would herald a better future for an integrated Iraq and foil foreign plots aimed at creatinga divisionin the country.
A secure, stable and united Iraq promotes the countrys sustainable security, stability and progress and friendly countries to Iraq and its well-wishers must support such an approach, Shamkhani pointed out.
Delivering a formal statement aired by the state television on July 10, the Iraqi premier formally declared the victory of the countrys forces over the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group in Mosul, one day after Iraqi military and Popular Mobilization Forces took full control of the city.
The recapture of Mosul marks the biggest blow to the Takfiri extremist group since it declared its so-called caliphate three years ago.
Iran avertedsecurity disaster in Kurdistan
Rasul Ali, for his part, said Iran hadalways played a leading role in supporting Kurdistan, particularly in countering Daesh terrorists, and prevented a security disaster in this region.
He said the Islamic Republic and the Kurdistan region haddeep-rooted and historical bonds.
