BAGHDAD - Asiacell said on Tuesday it has not yet received a formal demand from the Iraqi government asking to move it its headquarters from the Kurdistan region to Baghdad.

"If required, we will seek a constructive solution which is in the best interests of our customers and all involved parties," said the company, based in the Kurdish city of Sulaimaniya.

The Iraqi government on Monday said it will seek to impose control over Kurdistan-based mobile phone operators and move their headquarters on Baghdad.

The decision is part of series of measures taken against the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq after a referendum on Kurdish independence last month, which delivered an overwhelming vote to break away from Iraq.

The Iraqi government statement did not identify the networks concerned, but it is believed to be directed at Asiacell and Korek, a company based in the KRG capital Erbil. Iraq's third operator, Zain, is based in Baghdad.





(Reporting by Maher Chmaytelli, editing by Louise Heavens) ((maher.chmaytelli@thomsonreuters.com; +9647901917030;))