Independence Referendum in Kurdistan

The motion

That the Parliament recognises the right of all peoples to self-determination, which is embedded in Article 1 of the Charter of the United Nations and which will be exercised by the Kurdish people of Iraq in their upcoming independence referendum on 25 September 2017; understands that, while this referendum is non-binding, it is a symbolic step for Kurdistan in Iraq and its plans for determining the direction of its statehood, which is of particular importance for the disputed territories now under de facto Kurdish control since its liberation from Islamic State, in part thanks to what it sees as the bravery of the Kurdish People's Protection Units; considers that calls for an independent Kurdish state have been amplified since the end of the First World War, when colonial powers divided up the Middle East after the collapse of the multi-ethnic Ottoman Empire, without regard for local ethnic or religious sensibilities, leaving Kurdish-populated territory split between Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria; notes with concern that the Iraqi Parliament has rejected the vote aimed at creating a Kurdish state in Iraq's northern territory and has authorised Iraq's Prime Minister to take any measures necessary to preserve Iraq's existing borders, and believes that, while some members of the international community fear the vote could spark a new conflict between Iraq's minority Kurdish population and Baghdad, so might the denial of a referendum, the Kurdish people, who suffered atrocities such as at Halabja under Iraqi rule, have the right to hold a referendum and decide on their own future.

No recorded vote on this motion. Most motions are never debated, and many that are debated are agreed without a division. Vote records are published from 2011.

SNP 16 Green 2

Party shown is each supporter’s party when the motion was published.

No contribution in the Official Report cites S5M-07736 by reference.