Iraqi Parliament against extension of UN mandate

The Iraqi Parliament has announced today that it won’t accept any renewal of the UN Mandate of the Multinational Force to stay any longer in Iraq. As the original UN mandate is stating the parliament wants to give their own approval for any further decision in this issue. Following intensive discussions in the last months and the generally held public view of the US lead forces as occupiers, the Council of Ministers wants to see from the international community a timetable for the withdrawal of the multinational troops out of Iraq within the next 8 months. They are debating a law on this issue, which is deemed to pass within the next hour.

Kurdish Regional Government Issues Turkish Ultimatum

The Kurdish Regional Government voted by a wide margin to issue a statement
which says the following:

"The Kurdish Regional Government supports the sovereignty of the Iraq and demands that the Turkish military cease its unilateral incursions within the Kurdish area of Iraq. The Kurdish people will no longer be used as the pawns of Turkish attempts to put down the sovereingty of the Kurds."

The Turks have refused to accept this statement, arguing that the Kurdish Regional Goverment is not the sovereign Government of Iraq and iterate their right to continue combating terrorism in all its forms.