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UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey on Tuesday said a Kurdish independence referendum in northern Iraq could lead to fresh conflicts in the Middle East.

“New crises in the region, such as bids for independence, could spark new conflicts and must therefore be avoided at all costs ... We urge Iraq’s Kurdish Regional Government to abort the steps they have taken in that direction,” Erdogan told the United Nations General Assembly.