LONDON: UK Prime Minister Theresa May and her Kurdish counterpart Nechirvan Barzani discussed a range of issues Tuesday morning, including the September referendum and the restarting of international flights into Kurdistan’s two main airports.
According to a statement from 10 Downing Street, the UK prime minister and Barzani discussed the referendum, with May saying that “the UK would continue to fight to protect the identity and rights of the Kurdish people under the Iraqi constitution.”
The prime minister’s office added that May welcomed “Barzani’s government’s recognition of the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court’s ruling that Iraq is unified and indivisible.”
The non-binding referendum on the independence of Kurdistan took place on Sept. 25, resulting in 93 percent support for independence. Its legality was however rejected by the government of Iraq, and led to retaliatory measures such as the closure of Kurdistan’s Irbil and Sulaimaniya airports to international flights.
According to May’s office, the two leaders also discussed a resumption of international flights to the two airports. “They both said that they hoped to see progress on this soon,” it added.
Previous to the September referendum, airlines such as Dubai’s Emirates and Flydubai, along with European carriers Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines flew direct to Irbil Airport. A Flydubai spokesperson told Arab News via email that “flights to Irbil have been temporarily suspended. Passengers booked on a flight between Sept. 30, 2017 and March 24, 2018 can rebook on a flight to another destination in Iraq or receive a refund to the original form of payment. For flights after this date further updates will be provided nearer the time.”
In the phone call May discussed the UK’s determination to see reform in Iraq. She “underlined the UK’s continued support for the Kurdistan region and Kurdish people within a unified Iraq, while urging continued reform in the political, economic and security sectors to strengthen Kurdistan’s institutions and deliver for the Kurdish people,” Downing Street said.
May also said that “she would be pleased to see Prime Minister Barzani in London in due course to make further progress on these matters.” Her office confirmed to Arab News that no official visit to the UK by Barzani is currently planned.
Theresa May backs unified Iraq in call to Kurdish PM
Theresa May backs unified Iraq in call to Kurdish PM
Two high-speed trains derail in Spain, broadcaster reports seven people killed
- The accident happened near Adamuz, which is near Cordoba
MADRID: Two high-speed trains derailed on Sunday in southern Spain, the rail network operator said, and state-run television channel RTVE said seven people had died, citing police sources.
The accident happened near Adamuz, in Cordoba province. Seven people have been confirmed dead by police, RTVE said, adding that 100 people have been injured, 25 seriously.
Spanish police did not immediately respond to request for comment from Reuters.
“The Iryo 6189 Malaga — (to Madrid) train has derailed from the track at Adamuz, crashing onto the adjacent track. The (Madrid) to Huelva train which was traveling on the adjacent track has also derailed,” said Adif, which runs the rail network, in a social media post.
Adif said the accident happened at 6:40 p.m. (1740 GMT), about ten minutes after the Iryo train left Cordoba heading toward Madrid.
Iryo is a private rail operator, majority-owned by Italian state-controlled railway group Ferrovie dello Stato. The train involved was a Freccia 1000 train which was traveling between Malaga and Madrid, a spokesperson for Ferrovie dello Stato said.
Iryo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Adif has suspended all rail services between Madrid and Andalusia.
Andalusia emergency services said on social media that all rail traffic had been halted and emergency services were on their way, including at least nine ambulances and emergency support vehicles.
CALLS FOR MEDICS
A woman named Carmen posted on X that she had been on board the Iryo to Madrid. “Ten minutes after departing (from Cordoba) the train started to shake a lot, and it derailed from coach 6 behind us. The lights went out.”
Footage posted by another Iryo train passenger, also on X, showed an Iryo staffer in a fluorescent jacket instructing passengers to remain in their seats in the darkened carriages, and those with first aid training to keep watch over fellow passengers.
The staffer told passengers they would be evacuated when it was safe to leave, but at that moment the safest place was on the train. He also urged people to maintain mobile phone batteries to be able to use their torches when they disembarked.
The passenger wrote: “In our carriage we’re well but we don’t know about the other carriages. There’s smoke and they’re calling for a doctor.”
The regional government has activated emergency protocols to mobilize more resources to the accident site. Locals posted on social media that a building would be set up in the village nearest the crash for evacuated passengers to be taken to.
Salvador Jimenez, a journalist for RTVE who was on board the Iryo train, shared images showing the nose of the rear carriage of the train lying on its side, with evacuated passengers sitting on the side of the carriage facing upwards.
Jimenez told TVE by phone from beside the stricken trains that passengers had used emergency hammers to smash the windows and climb out, and they had seen two people taken out of the overturned carriages on stretchers.
“There’s a certain uncertainty about when we’ll get to Madrid, where we’ll spend the night, we’ve had no message from the train company yet,” he said. “It’s very cold but here we are.”
