title: U.S. urges Iraq's Kurdistan to call off independence referendum
text: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Friday the plan for an independence referendum in Iraq s autonomous Kurdistan region this month distracts from efforts to defeat Islamic State and urged Kurdish leaders to call off the vote.  We therefore call on the Kurdistan Regional Government to call off the referendum and enter into serious and sustained dialogue with Baghdad, which the United States has repeatedly indicated it is prepared to facilitate,  the White House said in a statement. 