Kurdish lawmaker says KDP delegation now in Baghdad won't be negotiating

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Vian Sabri, a Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) Leadership Council member and lawmaker in the Iraqi federal parliament in Baghdad, told Kurdistan 24 on Saturday that a delegation visiting the nation’s capital is a diplomatic and information-gathering team, not a negotiating one.   

“The task of the KDP delegation currently visiting Baghdad is to meet with Iraqi political blocks and get an overall view and sense of their preferences in regard to forming of the next Iraqi government,” Sabri said.

Read More: ‘We seek true partnership in Baghdad that protects rights of Kurds’: KDP official

She went on to state that the priorities of the KDP in Baghdad, aside from working toward forming the new Iraqi government, include the implementation of Article 140, the Peshmerga, national stability, economic development, and the portion of the national budget allocated for the Kurdistan Region.

“The Kurds will have a better chance to obtain their rights if they are united,” the lawmaker said.

“The political sides loyal to Iran and the PMF (Popular Mobilization Forces) didn’t expect these election results from the Iraqi street and they completely refuse the results,” Sabri said, referring to the Iranian-backed paramilitaries whose affiliated politicians lost a significant number of parliament seats in last month’s election.

Read More: Iraqi security forces, supporters of Iran-backed militias clash in central Baghdad

She warned, “The next stage of the Iraqi political process will be very sensitive.”   

However, though, Sabri said that she expects the current tensions in Baghdad will calm down over the next few days, also pointing out that the voting results elections will most likely be approved by the Iraqi Supreme Court by the end of the year.

Read More: Iraq electoral commission says voting appeals process in its final stage

Once the KDP delegation is back to Kurdistan Region, she said, it will meet with party leadership and then with the rest of the Kurdish political parties to brief them on the meetings in Baghdad.

After this, she said, the leadership from all Kurdish political factions will get together to decide on the Kurds’ negotiating strategy with Baghdad for forming the next Iraqi government.