ARBIL, Iraq, Oct 10 (AFP) - 3h04 - In Iraqi Kurdistan, no-one questions the usefulness of voting 'Yes' in Saturday's referendum on a new constitution, seen as the best way to reinforce their northern region's de facto autonomy.The mobilisation of voters to say 'Yes' in the provinces of Arbil, Dohuk and Suleimaniyah is unparalleled in the rest of Iraq. With one voice, political parties, officials and media sing the draft text's praises.

"The Iraqi state in general and the Kurdish people in particular will (on October 15) take a huge step forward and enter a more advanced era in their social, political and economic history," said Arbil governor Nuzad Hadi of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).

Another official from the KDP, headed by Iraqi Kurdistan's regional president Massud Barzani, underlined the importance of Kurds' "taking part en masse in the referendum and saying yes to the constitution".

Mahmud Mahmud is in charge of educating the population about the necessity of going to the polls and his workers have inundated Kurdistan with slogans and explanations in a bid to inspire people of the virtues of the draft basic law.

Banners stretched across city streets inform residents that "a Yes vote is the same as supporting autonomy" or that it "guarantees keeping the peshmerga," the Kurdish militia which fought the forces of ousted dictator Saddam Hussein for decades.

During the long and laborious birth of the constitutional text, Kurdish negotiators fought fiercely to enshrine Iraq's federal nature, although the right to self-determination that could have led to secession was left out.

Kurdish representatives in the regional parliament were quick to notice the "omission" while reading the final text but nevertheless called for Kurds to vote yes.

"I will vote yes because I feel like I have an historic responsibility," said 35-year-old teacher Shilan Mulod. "I want to add my voice, that of a woman, to the voice of the Kurds who, united, will help our people's cause."

Kurdish public opinion has been worked on by the media, in particular local television stations that broadcast an increasing number of roundtable discussions on the matter.

Local channels have organised debates with themes such as "Why should you vote Yes?" and "With the constitution". Another programme called "The school of the constitution" invites viewers to call in with questions for a panel of experts.

The television stations of both the KDP and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani have a permanent logo in the corner of the screen saying "Yes to the constitution".

The United Nations began Saturday to distribute a million copies of the draft law's text in Kurdish, starting with the most isolated hamlets and villages before moving to the cities.

The Chaldean, Assyrian and Turkmen minorities will also have copies printed in their respective languages, set to be handed out beyond the three strictly Kurdish provinces and into cities such as Kirkuk and Mosul, home to significant Kurdish minorities.

During the bitter wrangling over the constitution's make-up, Kurds temporarily dropped their claims on the oil-rich but ethnically tense city of Kirkuk, which was significantly Arabised under Saddam.

Nevertheless, Kurds say, the new document promises somewhat ambiguously to "normalise the situation" in Kirkuk after fresh elections set for December 15.