Kurds will find it hard to implement independence, says Iraqi FM

Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari speaks during an interview with Reuters in Cairo, Egypt September 13, 2017. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany

CAIRO (Reuters) - Iraqi Kurdish leaders must be prepared to face the consequences if they unilaterally declare independence and find implementation more difficult than they expected, Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari said on Wednesday.

Jaafari was in Cairo for an Arab League summit where the closing statement included a resolution calling a Kurdish independence referendum this month unconstitutional, mirroring the stance of Iraq's central government and national parliament.