Masrour Barzani: Political crisis KRG’s main issue

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (K24) - Masrour Barzani, Chancellor of the Kurdistan Region Security Council, told K24 on Thursday that the Region's primary problem is the political crisis which demands immediate attention.

"The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) supports conducting a referendum, but it has to be at a proper time," Barzani stated, following a KDP Leadership Council meeting in Erbil.Tackling the financial crisis though economic reforms and domestic political issues were the focal points discussed in the KDP Leadership Council meeting.

Tackling the financial crisis through economic reforms and domestic political issues were among the most important points discussed in the meeting.

He emphasized that KDP did not create a referendum committee, but approves all reform-related plans in Kurdistan Region.
Regarding the timing of implementing a referendum, Barzani highlighted that this depends on the Elections Commission reports, and these details will be decided when President of the Kurdistan Region Masoud Barzani returns from Europe, where he is attending many high-level conferences and meetings.

Replying to the question whether KDP would hold meetings with other parties to discuss the Independence Referendum, the chancellor said that KDP has never avoided maintaining a dialogue with other parties. There is no doubt that negotiations are necessary to finding a solution regarding the political crisis, he stressed.

Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Nechirvan Barzani, in a press conference held after the leadership meeting, said that KDP asked for a meeting with the Gorran (Change) Movement Party.

While Kurdistan Region is facing an ongoing financial crisis mostly triggered by the Federal Government in Baghdad cutting the Region’s budget, the expensive war with Islamic State (IS), and the drastic reduction in world oil prices, there is a dispute amongst Kurdish parties regarding the Region’s presidency as well.

Some parties in the Kurdistan Region Parliament, including Gorran, Islamic Group, Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and Kurdistan Islamic Union opposed the term extension of KDP leader Masoud Barzani’s Presidency after it officially ended in late August 2015.

KDP maintains that with the extremist threat and the economic crisis, it is not an appropriate time to hold an election while opposition parties argue that Yousef Mohammad, Speaker of the Kurdistan Parliament and a Gorran member, should temporarily take Barzani’s position until the next president is elected.

The conflicts escalated when in October several KDP offices were burnt amid demonstrations in Qaladize and other towns in Sulaimani Province. Several people were killed and injured. KDP holds Gorran responsible for encouraging demonstrators to commit violence, and a few days later the security forces prevented Yousef Mohammad from entering Erbil from Sulaimani.

Reporting by Gulala Khaled
Editing by Ava Homa and Benjamin Kweskin