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Turkey squawks as KRG referendum nears

As regional and US pressure ramps up on Iraqi Kurds to postpone the independence referendum, Iraqi Kurdistan President Massoud Barzani seems unlikely to crack.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu gestures during a news conference at the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium July 25, 2017. REUTERS/Eric Vidal - RTX3CUTU

Turkey turned up the volume of its opposition to a planned referendum on Kurdish independence in Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq today, warning the move could lead to civil conflict.

Comments from Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu were among the strongest admonishments from Turkey to date as the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) presses ahead with plans for the plebiscite, which is due to be held on Sept. 25. “In that country, which has been through so many problems, a referendum on independence can make the situation even worse. … God forbid, it could even bring civil war,” Cavusoglu said.

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