Kurdish leaders reject Baghdad demand to cancel independence vote, renew dialogue offer

Iraq's Kurdish leadership rejected on Sunday the Iraqi government demand that it cancels the outcome of an independence referendum as a precondition for talks to resolve the dispute.
Two major Kurdish political parties in northern Iraq on Sunday refused to nullify the results of last month's illegitimate referendum, a Kurdish official said.

Kurdish leaders who met to discuss the crisis in the Kurdish town of Dokan renewed their offer to "resolve peacefully" the crisis with Baghdad, Kurdistan Regional Government President Masoud Barzani's aide, Hemin Hawrami, said on Twitter.

The Kurdish region is ready "to reach peaceful resolution for current standoff in all area. [And] Rejecting military option, but ready to defend," Hawrami said, referring to the situation in Kirkuk, an area disputed between the KRG and Iraq's central government in Baghdad.

He added: "There will not be any unilateral negotiation with Baghdad by either PUK or KDP. If there be any negotiation with Baghdad, it will be a joint delegation representing all Kurdistan parties."

The meeting was attended by Barzani, Iraqi President Fuad Masum, and Hero Talabani, the wife of Jalal Talabani, a Kurdish leader who died earlier this month.

They rejected what they described as "military threats" from Iraqi forces against Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, and pledged to defend Kurdish-held territory in case of an attack.
The Sept. 25 illegitimate referendum was strongly opposed by most regional and international actors -- including the U.S., Turkey, and Iran -- who warned that the poll would distract from Iraq's fight against terrorism and further destabilize the region.