By Middle East Monitor
The largest opposition party in Turkey yesterday called on the government to give the Kurdish President Massoud Barzani 24 hours to abandon his plans for a referendum on Kurdish independence or face military, political or economic repercussions.
Deputy Chairman of Republican People’s Party (CHP), Ozturk Yilmaz, told reporters at the parliament building in Ankara that the referendum will destabilise the region and may lead to civil war.
He stressed that the referendum is contrary to “international laws, the Iraqi Constitution, and the laws in the Kurdish region.”
Yilmaz renewed the Republican People’s Party’s rejection of the referendum and criticised the ruling Justice and Development party’s rapprochement with Barzani over the years.
He added that the Turkish government must now take concrete steps and stressed that Turkey’s interests and national security must be protected.
The Iraqi Parliament voted last week to reject the referendum, but the Kurdish region government stressed that it will not comply with the Parliament’s decision.
On Monday, the Federal Supreme Court, the highest judicial authority in Iraq issued a decision to suspend the referendum proceedings.
Several countries in the region reject the referendum including Turkey which argues that preserving Iraq’s territorial integrity is linked to the establishment of security, peace and prosperity in the region.
