BAGHDAD: Two Shia lawmakers yesterday called for a referendum on turning the oil-rich province of Basra in southern Iraq into a mini-state.

The push signals a renewed effort by Shas to grant regions self-rule in what would be a federalist system of government.

Sunnis oppose the idea, fearing it could lead to the country’s eventual break up or isolate them from oil wealth concentrated in mainly Shia and Kurdish areas.

Sheik Kheir-Allah al-Basri, a Shia lawmaker from a small secular party, sought to ease such fears yesterday, arguing that the push for autonomy is not a “secessionist motion.”

The region of Kurdistan in northern Iraq already enjoys self-rule