Iraq's parliament speaker in Erbil to discuss elections, security with Kurdistan PM
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Tuesday received Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi and his accompanying delegation to discuss various issues crucial to governance and security across the nation.
According to a statement released by the Kurdistan Regional Government, the two spoke in detail of “the latest developments in Iraq and the region, especially preparations for the upcoming Iraqi elections and finding ways to conduct free and fair elections that guarantee the rights and aspirations of the various Iraqi components.”
They also covered "the dangers posed by terrorism in general, especially the threats posed by ISIS in many areas of Iraq and the real threat it poses to the public’s lives.”
Unsurprisingly, the two officials focused on continuing negotiations between Baghdad and Erbil on multiple issues such as oil, the budget, and disputed territories that have proven irreconcilable between all previous federal and regional administrations in post-2003 Iraq.
Both Barzani and Halbousi, read the statement, stressed “the importance of security coordination between the Peshmerga and the Iraqi army and uniting efforts and capabilities to confront terrorism and its threats."
On Saturday Barzani made similar comments after ISIS militants attacked a Peshmerga unit in the border region separating Iraqi and Kurdish troops northwest of disputed Kirkuk province.
Editing by John J. Catherine