Iraqi PM: Kurds have 72 hours to hand over airports

MENA

Published: 2017-09-27 09:29

Last Updated: 2024-03-28 14:45


File photo of Iraqi PM Haider al Abadi
File photo of Iraqi PM Haider al Abadi

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al Abadi said on Tuesday, 24 hours after the Kurdish independence referendum, that Kurdistan was to be allowed 72 hours, ending Friday, to hand control of its airports and borders to the Iraqi government.

He added during his weekly press conference in Baghdad that the cabinet had decided to impose an embargo on flights to and from Kurdistan after the three days, barring Kurdish compliance.

In an earlier speech, Abadi said he was "not ready to discuss or have a dialogue about the results of the referendum because it is unconstitutional," Abadi said in a speech broadcast on state TV on Monday night.

"Most of the problems of the [Kurdish] region are internal ones, not with Baghdad, and will be increased with the calls for separation," Abadi said, adding: "The economic and financial problems the region is suffering from are the result of corruption and misadministration”.

 

This article is an edited translation from the Arabic Edition