Rouhani stresses Iran's stance against referendum

ERBIL, Iraq (AA) – Iranian president Hassan Rouhani on Sunday said that Iraq has his country's full support for actions necessary to preserve its unity.

According to a written statement by Iraq’s prime minister’s office, Rouhani “stressed his country's full support for the Iraqi government and all its steps that had taken to preserve Iraq's unity and territorial integrity” in a phone conversation with Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi.

“Al-Abadi affirmed the Iraqi government's efforts to complete the liberation of all Iraqi territory from Daesh's terrorists' gangs, which is a priority for them,

“Al-Abadi stressed the government's clear stance to prevent unilateral and unconstitutional procedures that threaten the unity of Iraq, peaceful coexistence among the people of the country, rejection of the referendum and will not deal with its results”, the statement said.

Monday’s non-binding referendum will see Iraqis in Kurdish Regional Government (KRG)-held areas -- and in a handful of territories disputed between Erbil and Baghdad -- vote whether to secede from Iraq.

Baghdad, Turkey, Iran, the U.S., and the UN have all spoken out against the poll, saying it will only distract from the ongoing fight against Daesh and further destabilize the region.

Iraq’s central government has threatened to intervene militarily if the vote leads to violence.

The KRG’s leader, Masoud Barzani, has said a 'Yes' win would not result in an automatic declaration of independence but would simply lead to further negotiations with Baghdad.