U.N. chief: Northern Iraq vote would detract from Islamic State fight

Reuters
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaks at a news conference ahead of the 72nd United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, September 13, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Segar

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Sunday that a planned Sept. 25 independence referendum in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region "would detract from the need to defeat" Islamic State and to reconstruct regained territories. "The Secretary-General respects the sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity of Iraq and considers that all outstanding issues between the federal Government and the Kurdistan Regional Government should be resolved through structured dialogue and constructive compromise," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement. "The Secretary-General calls upon the leaders across Iraq to approach this matter with patience and restraint," he said. (Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Peter Cooney)