U.N. chief - Northern Iraq vote would detract from Islamic State fight

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Sunday that a planned Sept. 25 independence referendum in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region "would detract from the need to defeat" Islamic State and to reconstruct regained territories. "The Secretary-General respects the sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity of Iraq and considers that all outstanding issues between the federal Government and the Kurdistan Regional Government should be resolved thr