Iraq's Kurds might put off independence vote in return for concessions from Baghdad - official

Mala Bakhtiar, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK's) Politburo Executive Secretary speaks during an interview with Reuters in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq August 19, 2017. Picture taken August 19, 2017. REUTERS/Stringer

SULAIMANIYA, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraq's Kurds may consider the possibility of postponing a planned Sept. 25 referendum on independence in return for financial and political concessions from the central government in Baghdad, a senior Kurdish official said.

A Kurdish delegation is visiting Baghdad to sound out proposals from Iraqi leaders that might convince the Kurds to postpone the vote, according to Mala Bakhtiar, executive secretary of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Politburo.