The Kurdistan regional government has proposed freezing the results of a disputed independence referendum.<br /><br />It is part of an offer to defuse the crisis with the Iraqi central government in Baghdad which regards the vote as illegal.<br /><br />Kurdish Statement<br /><br />In a statement the Kurdish government made three major points:<br /><br />1. Immediate ceasefire and halt all military operations in the Kurdistan Region. <br />2. Freeze the results of referendum conducted in the Iraqi Kurdistan.<br />3. Start an open dialogue between the Kurdistan Regional Government and Iraqi Federal Government on the basis of the Constitution.<br /><br />Last week fighting broke out when Iraqi government troops seized Kirkuk and other areas controlled by the Kurds.<br /><br />The Iraqi government has described the vote as a threat to the “peaceful co-existence among Iraqis.<br /><br />People living in northern Iraq had voted overwhelmingly in favour of independence for the Kurdistan Region.<br />
