President Barzani meets senior Iraqi leaders amid fresh unrest in capital

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The President of the Kurdistan Region, Nechirvan Barzani, warned on Wednesday that the deteriorating situation in Iraq could affect the Kurds as well, and affirmed that Erbil is ready for “any cooperation or coordination to resolve the issues,” a statement from his office said.

Barzani had expressed his concerns regarding the current unrest in central and southern Iraq during a series of meetings with senior leaders of the country in Baghdad, where fresh violence resurfaced on Thursday as the security forces cracked down on protesters.

Widespread violent repression by members of the security forces and paramilitaries has resulted in the deaths of at least 300 protesters and injury to over 12,000 others in various Iraqi cities, with many of the casualties being in the capital. Four demonstrators were killed and at least 50 others were wounded on Thursday.

Arriving in Baghdad on an unannounced visit on Wednesday, Barzani initially met with top Baghdad officials, including Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi, President Barham Salih and Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi.

Read More: Kurdistan President meets top Iraqi officials amid simmering unrest

Continuing his meetings that same day, Barzani met with senior politicians and officials, including the leader of the National Wisdom Movement, Ammar al-Hakim, the head of the Fatah Alliance, Hadi al-Amiri, the head of the political body of the Sadrist movement, Nassar al-Rubaie, the chief of the State of Law Coalition, Nouri al-Maliki, and the leader of the National Coalition Iyad Allawi.

In a statement issued by his office, Barzani reiterated during the meetings Erbil’s “support for the security and political stability of Iraq.” He added that “Iraq’s situation affects the whole country, including the Kurdistan Region,” and called on all sides “to take responsibility in dealing with the situation, reform and solve problems.”

President Barzani had discussed with all senior leaders the ongoing unrest throughout the central and southern cities, “their causes and consequences, ways to solve issues and meet the legitimate demands of citizens, and expectations for the future of the political process in the country.”

In his meeting President Salih on Wednesday, Barzani discussed “amendments planned for the Iraqi constitution,” deputy speaker Bashir Haddad told reporters in Baghdad. This is part of Baghdad’s reform agenda, with a recently-formed parliamentary committee dedicated to writing amendments.

Haddad pointed out that Barzani affirmed during his meeting with Salih the region’s “support for any constitutional amendments that serve Iraq and ensure better services to the Iraqi people in general.”

Erbil has, however, previously expressed that the current woes of the country are not due to the contents of Iraq’s founding document following the fall of the former regime in 2003. Rather, they have arisen because the Constitution’s stipulations have not been implemented.

Barzani reiterated this position during his meeting with Speaker Halbousi, saying “any amendments to the Constitution must serve the interests of Iraq, the country’s stability, and protect the constitutional rights of the Kurdistan Region and all of Iraq’s components in general.”

The Kurdistan Region has also stated its firm rejection of any amendments that affect the rights of Kurds and the powers of the Kurdistan Regional Government.

Editing by Nadia Riva