Iraq's Kurds Maintain Sept. 25 as Date for Independence Referendum: Zebari
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Iraq's Kurds will maintain their plan to hold a referendum on independence on Sept. 25, despite a US request to postpone it, a high-ranking Kurdish official said Saturday.
"The date is standing, Sept. 25, no change," Hoshyar Zebari, a close adviser to Kurdistan Regional Government President Massoud Barzani, told Reuters, commenting on the request communicated by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
The US State Department said in June it was concerned that the referendum will distract from "more urgent priorities" such as the defeat of Daesh (also known as ISIL or ISIS) militants.
