KDP, PUK invite all Kurdish parties to meet, unite for negotiations with Baghdad

The two leading Kurdish parties have invited all parties in the Kurdistan Region for a joint meeting to unite the semi-autonomous region’s voice in negotiations with Baghdad.

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The two leading Kurdish parties have invited all parties in the Kurdistan Region for a joint meeting to unite the semi-autonomous region’s voice in negotiations with Baghdad.

The delegations from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), led by Masoud Barzani, and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), headed by Kosrat Rasul Ali, met in Erbil on Monday to discuss matters related to the Iraqi political process following the May 12 elections.

According to a joint statement following the meeting, the two parties underlined the importance of unity and cooperation in the Kurdistan Region and in dealing with Baghdad.

They also highlighted the ongoing efforts of the two parties’ joint negotiation committee, which has been negotiating with many Iraqi parties in Baghdad regarding the formation of the new federal government.

The KDP and PUK emphasized the importance of Kurdish unity and the participation of all parties in the political process. They invited all the parties for a joint meeting and have formed a committee to prepare for the meeting, the statement added.

Both parties also urged the committee they had previously formed to investigate the situation in Kirkuk to begin their duties soon due to the “sensitivity of the current situation” in the province.

Should they unite, Kurdish parties in the Kurdistan Region would make the largest parliamentary bloc in the Iraqi Parliament, outnumbering the winner, Sairoon Coalition, who secured 54 seats out of 329.

According to an informal system of power-sharing in Iraq, a member of the Shia community holds the Prime Minister post, a Sunni Iraqi is speaker of parliament, and a Kurd holds the presidency.

Since the fall of the authoritarian regime in Iraq in 2003, Kurds have been playing the role of kingmaker in choosing the country’s Prime Minister, considering their number of seats that have a substantial influence in determining Iraq’s Premier.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany