By Luke Baker LONDON, March 12 (Reuters) - The president of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region expressed solidarity with the central government in Baghdad on Thursday, but warned deep differences with the Arab leadership still needed addressing. Speaking to foreign policy experts in London, Masoud Barzani, the president of the Kurdish regional government, said Kurds were better off in partnership with Iraq as a whole, even if independence would always remain their ultimate aspiration. "Kurds are stronger with Iraq, and Iraq is stronger with the Kurds," Barzani, the son of a Kurdish revolutionary leader, told the Royal Institute of International Affairs. "So long as Iraq is covered by its constitution and the Kurds play a role within the framework of Iraq, they will continue to stay committed to that constitution." But he added: "We believe that we have all the right as a nation to have the right to self determination. "That is the aspiration of all the Kurds and it is a natural right ... absolutely that will not be done through violence and war. It will be done under circumstances where there is real dialogue and understanding, and I hope that will take place." The Kurdish region of northern Iraq, made up of three provinces along the border with Iran and Turkey, already has a high degree of autonomy, with its own flag, its own international airport and its own powerful government. While it has long been the desire of Kurds -- a non-Arab diaspora spread across eastern Syria, southeast Turkey, Iraq and western Iran -- to unite as a nation, an independent Kurdistan would be hugely geopolitically destabilising and has long been opposed by the Kurds' allies, including the United States. Instead, Kurdish leaders have sought to build as much autonomy as they can, and want to incorporate Iraqi cities such as Mosul and Kirkuk within the boundaries of the Kurdish region. KIRKUK ISSUE The issue of Kirkuk is particularly sensitive as the city sits on some of the largest oil reserves in Iraq. During Saddam Hussein's rule, tens of thousands of Kurds were driven out of the area around Kirkuk as part of a process known as "Arabisation". Since his overthrow, Kurds have moved back in large numbers, shifting the demographics again. A referendum covering Kirkuk was due to be held in 2007 but has repeatedly been postponed. Barzani said the delay was one of five areas of profound disagreement with the largely Arab-led government in Baghdad. Among the areas of disagreement are oil and gas ownership, foreign policy, the structure of the partnership in Baghdad, and what is known as Article 140, a clause in the constitution that ultimately governs the administration of Kirkuk. Barzani said he expected Article 140, which requires the holding of a referendum, to be implemented soon. "We have not lost hope yet," he said. "We will stay committed to that and hopefully won't reach a stage where people will not come forward in implementing it. We still have hope." (Reporting by Luke Baker; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
Nephews and a niece of Iraqi journalist Muntazer al-Zaidi, who threw his shoes at former U.S. President George W. Bush, hold his posters outside Iraq's Central Criminal Court before the court ...
