Constitution should be basis for solving regional disputes, Iraqi judicial coucil head tells Kurdistan PM

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraq’s constitution should be a base for resolving all issues, a top judiciary official in Iraq said during a meeting with Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani in Erbil on Tuesday.

A high-ranking Iraqi delegation from the Supreme Judicial Council of Iraq arrived in Erbil on Tuesday to meet top Kurdistan Region officials, including Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani.

In the meeting, Faeq Zedan, the head of the Supreme Judicial Council of Iraq, affirmed that Iraq’s issues should be resolved and settled based on the Iraqi constitution.

The Kurdistan Region’s “unique position” has to be respected by the federal institutions, particularly in the judiciary, Zedan noted, according to a statement from the prime minister’s office.

For his part, Prime Minister Barzani shed light on Erbil-Baghdad relations and stressed that the Iraqi judiciary should impartially play its “effective and important role” in resolving the outstanding issues between regional and federal governments and preventing the constitutional violations, the statement said.      

“The Kurdistan Region has to be treated as a federal and constitutional entity [in Iraq],” Prime Minister Barzani added.

Developing coordination between the Kurdistan Region’s judiciary branch with the federal government’s judiciary were also stressed, the statement noted.

The Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council is the highest judicial authority and is “independent” both administratively and financially, according to the council’s act. It consists of several chiefs of top courts, including the Federal Court of Cassation and Public Prosecution.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany