No Iraqi government has implemented the constitution: PUK delegation leader

The leader of a Kurdish delegation that traveled to Baghdad this week to take part in post-election deal-making intended to form an alliance large enough to form Iraq's next government was critical of past Iraqi treatment of Kurds, but gave the hopeful statement of the potential for "a different Baghdad.”

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The leader of a Kurdish delegation that traveled to Baghdad this week to take part in post-election deal-making was critical of past Iraqi treatment of Kurds, but made a tantalizing suggestion of the potential for "a different Baghdad” in the near future.

Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Executive Secretary Mala Bakhtiar in a press conference in Sulaimani on Friday talked about the recent trip he had taken to Iraq's capital as the head of his party's delegation that took part in 12 meetings attended by rival blocs intent on forging an alliance large enough to successfully form the next government. 

“We met with the [Iraqi] President [Fuad Masum], the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) delegation, Turkish and Iranian ambassadors to Iraq, and the leading coalitions in the May 12 election to learn their perspectives on and impressions of future alliances,” Bakhtiar said.

“It was our purpose to learn the opinions of all, so that the PUK could decide on the nature of its participation in the government.”

He complained that “no Iraqi government has implemented the constitution,” and “they pick and choose between the articles they like to follow,” apparent references to Article 140, added as a result of intractable differences over territories disputed by Iraq's federal government and the KRG. The provision was introduced to allow the 2005 ratification of the constitution by kicking decisions on disputed territories down the road, but to the chagrin of Kurds, it has awaited implementation for over a decade. 

Bakhtiar did, however, change the tone with a curious new theme, about which he didn't explain further, saying, “Baghdad after the election will be a different Baghdad.”

He then addressed parties in the Kurdistan Region that have raised the possibility of boycotting the political process, alleging fraud in the election. “Before deciding, pay Baghdad a visit,” he said, adding that the capital is where political issues are resolved "through discourse."

The PUK and KDP delegations held a joint press conference on Wednesday, in which they reiterated the necessity of strong Kurdish unity when facing other parties in parliament.

On Thursday, an official from former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s State of Law Coalition hinted at the possibility of an alliance between his group, the Kurds, and Hadi al-Amiri’s al-Fatih coalition.

According to Bakhtiar, “So far, no official blocs have been created by the winning coalitions, but there are convergences in points of view.”

Editing by John J. Catherine