IRAQ SALVOS POLITICAL ROW WITH KURDS

Iraq'a top court of Monday declared the Kurdish north's independence referendum in September to be unconstitutional firing a new salvo in the political crisis with the autonomous region.

The legal move marked the latest stage in the dispute between Baghdad and Kurdish regional capital  Arbil sparked by the referendum, which resulted in a resounding ''yes'' vote for independence in the Kurdish area.

A statement said the Supreme Court ''rendered a decision declaring unconstitutional the referendum held on September 25, 2017 in Iraqi Kurdistan........ and cancelling all the consequences and results.''

Last week, as the deadline announced by the court for its decision on the constitutionality of the referendum approached, the Kurdistan government said it  ''respected''  the decisions taken by Iraq's highest court.

It also said it respected a previous decision on  Article 1 in the constitution insisting on Iraq unity, which could be a basis for a dialogue.

On Monday, the court again cited this article in its ruling, saying that the holding of the Kurdish independence ''contradicts and contravenes it,' its spokesman Ayas al-Samuk said in the statement.