"Masoud Barzani [Iraqi Kurdistan president] is a dreamer … The official state borders are drawn in blood, he knows peshmerga did not play any role in the fight against the IS [Daesh], that [Kurdish capital] Erbil would have been given up to IS [Daesh] if it were not for the help of Iraqi, Iranian and US aviation. They have no real force," Maliki said.
The official added that Kurdistan couldn't become an independent state, the region wouldn't be able to secede even if the referendum on the issue took place.
"Kurdistan cannot become an independent state from the point of view of the law or from the point of view of the constitution. The Kurds determined their fate when they voted for the constitution and decided that Iraq is a federative state. They do not have the right to determine their fate every day … A referendum on independence may take place, but Kurdistan will be unable to secede," Maliki said.
Since then, Kurdistan’s authorities have repeatedly raised the issue of the region’s independence and on June 7, they announced that a referendum on the issue would be held on September 25.
Responding to the move, Iraqi government spokesman Saad Hadithi said that Baghdad would not back any unilateral steps taken by Iraqi Kurdistan aimed at gaining independence, as such moves would violate the country's constitution.
