Is the Iraqi government in the reservoir area under great pressure before the referendum?

Baghdad, September 19: In June this year, Mesud Barzani, Chairman of the Iraqi Kurdish Autonomous Region (the reservoir area), announced that a referendum on the independence of the reservoir area would be held on September 25th. As the date of the referendum approaches, the differences between the political parties in the reservoir area are far from being resolved, and some people in the reservoir area are also emotionally complicated in the face of the referendum.

People want stability.

In Erbil, the regional flags of the reservoir area and advertisements calling on people to support the referendum can be seen everywhere. In some public places in the city, small-scale gatherings of the government and non-governmental organizations in support of the referendum appear from time to time. However, it is understood that in Sulaymaniyah, where the opposition "change movement" in the reservoir area is active, some demonstrations against the referendum are also being staged.

In a week-long interview in Erbil, the reporter asked taxi drivers, the media and other people from different classes about their attitudes towards the referendum. While looking forward to the establishment of an independent country, many people also hope that the controversy caused by the referendum will not affect the hard-won stable life.

On September 18, in Erbil, Kurds waved flags to participate in the rally. (Xinhua /Xipa)

Jamal, a media person, expressed his desire to maintain the stability of the reservoir area to reporters. Jamal, 42, has a deep memory of the war. "I was only five years old when the Iran-Iraq war broke out (1980). After countless nights, I fell asleep in the gunfire ... "

After the Gulf War, Iraqi Kurds established an autonomous region in northern Iraq. However, the good times did not last long. The two major political parties in the reservoir area, the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Kurdistan Patriotic Union, subsequently disagreed, and the brutal civil war lasted for several years.

Jamal believes that the referendum may undermine the rare stability in the reservoir area in the past 20 years, and he is also dissatisfied with the corruption and opacity of the government in the reservoir area. Jamal said that he supports independence but opposes holding a referendum now. "If the referendum is held as scheduled, my wife and I will boycott it. This is our position. "

The government is under pressure

As the date of the referendum approaches, the pressure on the government in the reservoir area is increasing.

The differences within the political parties in the reservoir area have not been eliminated. /kloc-In September, 2005, under the resistance of opposition parties such as the "Change Movement", the parliament of the reservoir area was reconvened after nearly two years of suspension, and the independence referendum was approved on September 25th. The "Change Movement" and the Kurdistan Islamic Organization said that the meeting was illegal and did not accept the resolution passed by the parliament.

The tension between the reservoir area and the central government has gradually escalated. For a long time, the two sides have differences on the jurisdiction of Kirkuk, Nineveh, Diyala and Salahuddin provinces. The scope of the referendum announced by the reservoir area includes the disputed areas in the above-mentioned provinces, which raises concerns that the referendum may trigger conflicts.

Since the announcement of the referendum plan in the reservoir area, many militia groups that are not bound by the central government have threatened to use force to oppose separatism. Officials in the reservoir area responded that they would not become a provocative party, but they would definitely fight back when attacked. In an interview with the media recently, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi said that if the referendum causes the Iraqi people to be threatened by extra-legal force, the central government will carry out "military intervention".

In addition, the referendum was strongly opposed by Turkey and Iran. The two countries are worried that Iraqi Kurds' efforts to seek independence may have a chain reaction in their own countries, bring a demonstration effect to their Kurds and endanger national security and territorial integrity.

The United States, which has long supported the Kurds, also disagreed with the referendum. 15 night, the White House said in a statement: "Holding a referendum in disputed areas is extremely provocative and harmful to stability. Therefore, we call on the government of the reservoir area to cancel the referendum and start a serious and sustained dialogue with Baghdad. "

Analysts believe that less than 10 days before the scheduled referendum date, the reservoir area faces internal differences, strong opposition from the central government and neighboring countries, and pressure from the United States. It is uncertain whether the referendum can finally be held as scheduled.