Iraq News

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki ends his two-day visit to Kurdistan. Prime Minister Al Maliki met with Kurdistan Leader Massoud Barazani and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani as well as a number of senior officials in the region. Al Maliki visited also Halabja City. Before leaving Sulaymaniyah province, Iraqi Prime Minister pledged in a press conference not to relinquish martyrs’ rights, victims of the ousted former regime. Al Maliki described rows between the government and the region as simple and administrative which the central government faces as well with other provinces. Rows will be resolved as soon as possible through joint committees, Prime Minister Al Maliki said noting that these differences could be settled without the intervention of a third party. The regional government is part of the central government; Al Maliki added declaring that he will receive in Baghdad a delegation from the central government to resolve these issues. Meetings between Iraqi Prime Minister and Kurdish leaders resulted of an agreement to form new committees charged of resolving rows within a timetable that does not exceed the deadline of general elections, parliamentary sources reported. MP Mahmoud Othman told Al Sabah Newspaper that it has been agreed to form committees including representatives of different political parties to proceed with the work of the five former committees established earlier for the same purpose. The committees will be set in place soon, he affirmed clarifying that their work mechanism will be defined during the anticipated visit of KRG PM Neshervan Barazani to Baghdad. Iraqi President Jalal Talabani considered that Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki’s visit to Kurdistan is positive and helps ease tension and reach common grounds to start serious talks over pending issues between the central government and regional government. President Talabani held a feast in honor of Prime Minister Al Maliki and the delegation accompanying him in Sulaymaniyah attended by Kurdistan National Union vices Secretary General Kosart Rasoul and Barham Saleh along with members and officials of the party’s political office.