Iraqi Kurds have frozen the results of a recent disputed independence referendum, offering a ceasefire and dialogue with Baghdad.
The Kurdistan Regional Government said in a statement that it was “obliged to act responsibly in order to prevent further violence and clashes”.
The statement proposes an end to “all military operations” in the region.
It comes after a landmark vote last month on independence for the region from Baghdad.
“Continued fighting does not lead any side to victory, but it will drive the country towards disarray and chaos,” the government statement adds.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi last month demanded that the Kurdistan Regional Government “cancel” the outcome of the referendum on independence.
He said the vote was a threat to the “peaceful co-existence among Iraqis, and is a danger to the region”, adding that he would “impose Iraq’s rule” in the area.
People living in northern Iraq voted overwhelmingly in favour of independence for the Kurdistan Region in the controversial referendum.
The electoral commission said 92% of the 3.3 million Kurds and non-Kurds who cast their ballots supported secession.
Source-BBC
