By Ali Abo Rezeg

ANKARA

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Thursday said the results of last month's illegitimate referendum on Kurdish regional independence should be “entirely annulled” and not simply “suspended”.

Al-Abadi’s assertion comes one day after northern Iraq’s Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) offered to “suspend” the results of last month’s poll.

It also proposed an immediate halt to all military activity in northern Iraq, which in recent days has seen armed confrontations between Iraqi forces and Kurdish Peshmerga forces loyal to the KRG.

“The referendum was held at a time when we were fighting a war against the Daesh terrorist group,” al-Abadi said on the sidelines of a meeting in Tehran with Iranian Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri. 

“We warned them [the KRG] not to hold the poll, but to no avail,” he said. 

“Our ability to impose federal authority over all Iraqi territory is a victory for all Iraqi citizens,” he added. “We plan to bring all these areas under the authority of the [Iraqi] state.”

Last week, Iraqi government forces moved into several parts of the country that had been disputed between Baghdad and the Erbil-based KRG, including the oil-rich Kirkuk province.

Tension has steadily mounted between Baghdad and the KRG since Sept. 25, when Iraqis in KRG-held areas -- and in a number of disputed areas -- voted on whether or not to declare independence from the Iraqi state.

According to results announced by the KRG, almost 93 percent of registered voters cast ballots in favor of independence.

The unconstitutional referendum was heavily criticized by most regional and international actors, with many warning it would distract from Iraq’s ongoing fight against terrorism and further destabilize the region.

“The only acceptable outcome is for the referendum results to be completely annulled and that they [the KRG] conform to the Iraqi constitution,” the Iraqi prime minister said.

In terms of Iraq-Iran relations, al-Abadi called for stepped-up cooperation between Baghdad and Tehran “with a view to serving our people and ending the interventions that have led to destruction and widespread displacement”.

He added: “We offer development as an alternative to the disputes and conflicts that have long plagued the states of the region.” 

Jahangiri, for his part, congratulated al-Abadi for his success in “preserving the unity and sovereignty of Iraq”, going on to stress that Iran would “continue to support Iraq and contribute to its development and stability”.

The Iraqi prime minister is currently on a tour of the region that also included stops in Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.