ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has welcomed the latest initiative made by Haider al-Abadi, prime minister of Iraqi, for dialogue to resolve disputes between Erbil and Baghdad on the basis of the Iraqi constitution and within the framework of their partnership and agreements. The KRG also called on the international community to help start such talks between the two governments. In a statement after Iraqi forces and the mainly Shiite Hashd al-Shaabi took control of several Kurdistani or disputed areas such as oil-rich Kirkuk on Monday and Tuesday, Abadi said they still believe that dialogue is a solution for resolving outstanding issues between the two sides and invited Kurds to begin a “new relationship.” Not everything is up for negotiation, however. Abadi stood firm on exerting federal control over the borders, saying Kurdistan Region’s borders with Iran and Turkey must be under Baghdad’s control. Welcoming Abadi’s call for dialogue, the KRG also urged the people of the Kurdistan Region and the government’s institutions to reach out to their “resilient sisters and brothers from Kirkuk and Tuz Khurmatu.” The KRG laid out their stance in a statement published after a meeting on Thursday. They made it clear that the will of the people of Kurdistan cannot be shattered by weapons and military measures and that the problems “engulfing Iraq cannot be resolved in this way.” The full scale of what took place in Khurmatu and Kirkuk is not yet clear. No official casualty numbers have been released. The Iraqi takeover of the disputed areas appears to have followed a Peshmerga withdrawal, but there are multiple reports that some clashes took place between the Iraqi forces and Peshmerga and civilians who took up arms. Abadi has claimed that only one “incident” took place and that was in Khurmatu but it “did not lead to a confrontation.” “I warn, and I repeat my warning, any aggression against our citizens in Kirkuk, be it Kurds, Turkmen, Arab, or Christian, is an aggression against us... We will not allow this aggression.” Abadi has ordered local police backed by Counter-Terror forces to provide security and demanded all other armed forces leave the city of Kirkuk. The Hashd have reportedly withdrawn from some areas Wednesday night. The UN has issued a statement expressing concern of looting in disputed areas and forced displacement from Khurmatu and Kirkuk, mainly of Kurdish residents. It urged Baghdad to protect all civilians. The people of the Kurdistan Region and disputed areas voted for independence on September 25 with 92.7 percent choosing to leave Iraq.
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