EXCLUSIVE: Iraqi Kurdistan
leader Massoud Barzani says 'the time is here' for self-determination
By Mick Krever, CNN
Iraqi Kurdish President Massoud Barzani gave his
strongest-ever indication on Monday that his region would seek formal
independence from the rest of Iraq.
“Iraq is obviously falling apart,” he told CNN's
Christiane Amanpour in an exclusive interview. “And it’s obvious that the
federal or central government has lost control over everything. Everything is
collapsing – the army, the troops, the police.”
“We did not cause the collapse of Iraq. It is others who
did. And we cannot remain hostages for the unknown,” he said through an
interpreter.
“The time is here for the Kurdistan people to determine
their future and the decision of the people is what we are going to uphold.”