Talks between Erbil, Baghdad to begin in the New Year: Iraqi President

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – Iraqi President Fuad Masum on Wednesday asserted talks between Erbil and Baghdad would begin after the holidays, a Kurdish political party claimed.

According to the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan’s (PUK) website, Masum confirmed that delegations from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Federal Government of Iraq would hold negotiations early next year.

Without specifying a date, the Iraqi President said talks would be launched “after the New Year Holiday.”

Ties between the KRG and the Iraqi government have considerably deteriorated since Kurdistan’s Sep. 25 independence referendum which saw an overwhelming majority vote for secession.

Masum reportedly sent two separate letters to Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani, calling for talks to begin as soon as possible.

The Kurdish Iraqi president also claimed a third party would be present for the negotiations, hinting that UN Special Representative for Iraq Jan Kubiš would play an important role in mediating the meeting.

Although the KRG and the Federal Government of Iraq have shown their readiness for dialogue, there have been no indications by officials that talks would start anytime soon. Kurdish leaders say Baghdad wants to impose “impossible” conditions before initiating a discussion.

The KRG has shown its flexibility, offering to freeze the results of the referendum, but Baghdad demands a full annulment instead as a prerequisite to begin a dialogue.

On multiple occasions, the KRG has called on the international community to act as a mediator and lay the groundwork for talks to begin with the Iraqi government.

The Kurdistan Region wants a third party to oversee and guarantee negotiations, but Baghdad has maintained its position, stating the disputes are an internal Iraqi issue and the presence of an arbiter is unnecessary.

Since the historic Sep. 25 vote, the Iraqi government has imposed strict punitive measures on Kurdistan and its people.

The list includes the banning of international flights to and from both the Erbil and Sulaimani airports, demanding control of international airports and borders, as well as military operations on Oct. 16 to take over the oil-rich Kirkuk Province and other disputed territories which had been under the protection of Kurdish Peshmerga over the past few years.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany