UN regrets Iraq's Kurds went ahead with vote
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed regret that Iraq's Kurds have gone ahead with an independence referendum.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Guterres noted the referendum was "unilaterally declared, included disputed areas" and was opposed by Iraqi authorities and the global community. The spokesman said Guterres regretted that opportunities for negotiations were not seized and viewed the decision to hold the vote as potentially destabilizing.
The vote held Monday was billed by the Kurdish leadership as an exercise in self-determination. To Baghdad, the vote threatens a redrawing of Iraq's borders, while leaders in Turkey and Iran fear the move would embolden their own Kurdish populations.
