Region: Joint Committee will soon begin to resolve the differences between Erbil and Baghdad

[6ly410]

 

KDP, PUK sign joint agreement on KRG cabinet

By Rudaw 2 hours ago 

731Views

         

KDP deputy Nechirvan Barzani (R) and acting PUK leader Kosrat Rasul Ali sign cooperation deal in Erbil, March 4, 2019. Photo: Rudaw TV

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) have signed an agreement on the formation of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

 

KDP deputy president Nechirvan Barzani and the PUK's acting leader Kosrat Rasul Ali signed the cooperation deal in Erbil on Monday afternoon.

“We both are winners. Our people are the winners,” Sadi Pira, a member of the PUK politburo, told Rudaw. 

“The security of our people is the priority, for Kurdistan to be stable. I hope everyone thinks of the people’s interests, not partisan interests,” said Fazil Mirani, secretary of the KDP politburo, adding that party interests are secured through serving people. 

“One party can’t do certain political things without the other,” said Rasul, adding they hope to improve people’s lives, salaries, and to rectify past mistakes.

KDP spokesperson Mahmoud Mohammed said the agreement is to secure the unity of Kurdistan’s territory and for tranquility and joint work between the two parties.

PUK spokesperson Lateef Shiekh Omar said a commission will be set up to follow up on the implementation of the agreement.

Both the PUK and KDP stressed they want the agreement to establish political and economic stability, especially towards rebuilding the economy and developing it.

 

 

The politburos of the two parties met on Monday following a meeting on Sunday between Rasul and KDP President Masoud Barzani.

 

They discussed the new KRG cabinet and other outstanding issues like the post of Iraqi justice minister and governor of Kirkuk.

 

The KDP obtained 45 seats in its parliamentary election on September 30, while the PUK took 21.

http://www.rudaw.net/mobile/english/kurdistan/040320191

This is a developing story... Updated 4.31 p.m.

Edited March 4, 2019 by 6ly410

[6ly410]

 

[Pitcher]

KDP, PUK sign agreement to speed up gov't formation

 

 

The two main Kurdish parties have agreed to sign a comprehensive four-year political agreement on the formation of the new government of Kurdistan, according to verified information.

The agreement includes measures that would accelerate the formation of the new government.

The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and thePatriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) have concluded their Monday meeting in Erbil. Preparations for signing the agreement are currently taking place at the headquarters of the political bureau of the PUK.

 

https://www.thebaghdadpost.com/en/Story/36914/KDP-PUK-sign-agreement-to-speed-up-gov-t-formation7

[ChuckFinley]

Thanks Pitcher , some positive news out there. We just need some closer.  

[6ly410]

 

[6ly410]

Historic alright let’s go 

[lmb4321]

Thanks for the update.......Let's hope some more good news in the coming days.....

[Engine1]

42 minutes ago, lmb4321 said:

Thanks for the update.......Let's hope some more good news in the coming days.....

I like how you did that.  ( in the coming days )  that's like saying ( soon ) 

[yota691]

Kurdish official: There is a consensus between the two major parties to form a government of Kurdistan

© AFP 2018 / SAFIN HAMED

 

20:04 04.03.2019(Updated 20:06 04.03.2019)

Kurdish official revealed the existence of a consensus between the two main parties on the formation of the Kurdistan Regional Government.

Sherkoh Habib, the Kurdistan Democratic Party office in Cairo , an official said, in a telephone conversation with the " Sputnik " on Monday, the Democratic Party and the National Union, have reached an agreement to form a Government of the Territory at the earliest opportunity, pointing out that it has been resolved outstanding differences, and that the Union National will participate in parliamentary sessions.

 

"The formation of the government will be according to the election of each party, and can be overlooked a bit about the increase or decrease in the party to the benefit of the other party, and not as it was in the past in the process of quotas."

"According to the agreement, the Democratic Party is the one who heads the government because it is the winning party, but the consensuses are with the other partners on the portfolios according to the electoral entitlements," he said.

On the issue of Kirkuk , Habib said, "this issue will be resolved in accordance with negotiation and dialogue with the central government in Baghdad, and there are good steps at that time between the government of the province and the central government to redeploy Peshmerga forces in some areas," noting that the discussions between Baghdad and Erbil continues , And all the evidence confirms that it is moving in a positive way.

Kifah Mahmoud, a political researcher specializing in Kurdish and Iraqi affairs, said in previous statements that there were two important candidates for the Democratic Party, the first winner in the elections in the region and Iraq, noting that was nominated Marzar Barzani, national security official in the region, to head the government at the same time Was nominated for the party's vice president, Nezhirvan Barzani, to head the region.

"The reactions of most of the political actors at the time, especially the main parties, the PUK, the Tauran party and the other parties, all welcomed this candidacy, and now after the formation of committees and successive visits and meetings, I think they will go to consensus on the presidency of Parliament, Share of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. "

Mahmoud pointed out that there are leaks that there will be a deputy or two to the head of the region and the government, and will be the seat of deputy head of the territory of the movement of change and deputy prime minister of the National Union Party, and there are other leaks that there may be a deputy head of the Territory of the Turkmen as expected Many analysts and observers of the Kurdish scene.  

  

[DoD]

Glad to see this bunch finally coming together an agreeing on something, I guess the Barzani family paid off enough of these crooks to form a government.

Mayby now they can get to Baghdad an vote on some laws that will actually help all Iraqis...

[yota691]

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and Kurdistan sign a political agreement

 

Policy  ,   2019/03/04 19:18   , Number of readings: 222 

 

 

 

 

BAGHDAD, Iraq -

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) agreed on Monday on the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the governor of Kirkuk and Baghdad. The agreement was signed today by the deputy leader of the Democratic Party, Nechirvan Barzani and the deputy secretary-general of the National Union Kusrat Rasul .. The spokesman for the National Union Latif Sheikh Omar said in a joint press conference with the spokesman of the Kurdistan Democratic Party Mahmoud Mohammed, Comprehensive, and we are forming a committee to follow up the implementation of the Convention. "Sheikh Omar added that the lesson lies not in signing the agreement but in its implementation. The spokesman for the Democratic Party described the agreement as "historical", pointing out that the aim is to unite the Kurdish House and respond to the demands of the masses of Kurdistan. He explained that "this agreement will contribute effectively to move forward the formation of the Kurdistan Regional Government, and complete the formation of parliamentary committees in the region."

[yota691]

Our correspondent: the signing of a comprehensive political agreement between the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the National Union

Monday, March 04

[yota691]

Turkoman: The agreement between the two Kurdish parties will enter Kirkuk in a serious predicament

09:30 - 04/03/2019

 

 

 

 

Baghdad Mawazine News  

The Islamic Union of Iraqi Turkmen warned on Monday that an agreement between the two Kurdish parties would bring Kirkuk into a new impasse. 
"The agreement announced between the two Kurdish parties on the territorial government and the Federal Ministry of Justice and the annexation of Kirkuk without consulting with the other components of this agreement is dangerous may enter Kirkuk in a new predicament," said Jassem Mohammed Jaafar al-Bayati, secretary-general of the Union, in a statement issued by Mawazine News. "He said. 
He added that "the era of imposing the status quo has ended in 2017/10/16 without return and that Kirkuk can not be managed only by consensus between the three components," and called "the owner of the land to be more realistic and not resort to old methods failed, which resulted in the loss of Kirkuk and large areas "He said.
Al-Bayati said that "the Kurds and Arabs have received the post of governor and it is time to receive the Turkmen," declaring his refusal to "impose any governor of Kirkuk without dialogue and agreement between the three components, including the division of all positions and the administration of Kirkuk in accordance with the ratios of three trilateral." 
A political source said Monday that the two Kurdish parties had agreed on a "deadline" to form a regional government and name a minister of justice. 
Ended 
 m h n 

[yota691]

Change: Democratic and national agreement supports stability in Kurdistan

08:14 - 05/03/2019

 

 

 

BAGHDAD - 
The Kurdish Change Movement on Tuesday confirmed that the agreement between the Kurdish and Democratic parties supports stability in Kurdistan. 
"The agreement between the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democratic Party is a good step and a true direction for this stage of serving the political process and the supreme interests of the people of Kurdistan," the movement said in a statement received by Mawazine News. 
She noted that " the agreement will support system" rel="">support stability in the Kurdistan region of Iraq." 
And concluded the two parties and the Democratic National Kurdish, (Monday , 4 March 2019), an agreement on participation in the meetings of the Parliament of Kurdistan and the post of governor of Kirkuk and the Minister of Justice in the government Alathadah.anthy 29 / A 43

[yota691]

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan holds a meeting and 4 files on the table

05:35 - 05/03/2019

 

 

 

Special - Mawazin News 
announced the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, on Tuesday, it will hold a meeting during the next two days to resolve 4 files, most notably the candidate for the provincial parliament. 
A source in the Union said in an interview with "Mawazine News" that "the leadership council of the Union will hold an important meeting during the next two days, to resolve a number of files." 
He added that "the files that will be resolved is the candidate for the presidency of the Kurdistan Regional Parliament and the candidate for the post of deputy head of the provincial government and ministries in the provincial government and candidate for the post of governor of Kirkuk." 
It is noteworthy that the Patriotic Union and the Kurdistan Democratic Party signed yesterday, a comprehensive political agreement on the formation of the Kurdistan Regional Government

[yota691]

A new agreement between the democratic and national in the coming days

09:56 - 06/03/2019

 

 

 

BAGHDAD - Mawazine News The 
two Kurdish parties, the National Union and the Democratic Union, a new agreement in the coming days. 
The leader of the Union, Bkrd Talabani, told a press statement that her party "will conclude a second agreement with the Kurdistan Democratic in the next few days." 
Talabani said that "the new agreement on the distribution of positions," noting that "the political agreement signed by the two parties recently did not address the distribution of positions." 
On Monday, March 4, 2019, the Kurdish and Democratic Nationalist parties announced an agreement on participation in the Kurdistan Parliament meetings, the Governor of Kirkuk and the Minister of Justice in the Federal Government.

[6ly410]

PUK Reaffirms Commitment to Its Political Agreement with KDP

 

 Basnews English 06/03/2019 - 13:46 Published in Kurdistan

 

 

ERBIL — The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) is committed to all and every point of its recent political agreement with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), said PUK Deputy Secretary General Kosrat Rasoul.

Speaking to reporters on the sideline of Sulaymaniyah Forum, Rasoul explained that the agreement, which seemingly settled a range of disputes between the KDP and PUK, has brought back hope to the people of Kurdistan with more stability on the horizon.

The PUK leader noted that joint committees are tasked to implement the points of the agreement.

The two major parties signed the landmark agreement last Monday after a period of political deadlock which had hampered the process of forming the new government.

Details about the content of the agreement were not revealed to the media, but it was made clear that they have reached a mutual understanding on the next Kurdistan government, the posts of Kirkuk governor and Iraqi judicial minister. http://www.basnews.com/index.php/en/news/kurdistan/506334

 

Edited March 6, 2019 by 6ly410

[6ly410]

PUK to Finalize Nominee for Parliament Speaker Post This Week

 

 Basnews English 06/03/2019 - 10:47 Published in Kurdistan

 

 

ERBIL — The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) will make the final decision on one nominee for the position of Kurdistan Region Parliament Speaker within 48 hours, a leading member of the party said on Wednesday.

According to a political agreement with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), the post of parliament speaker will be held by the PUK which came second at the elections last year.

However, after a series of disputes with the KDP, PUK refused to attend the parliamentary sessions last month during which the KDP nominated a lawmaker to take the position as an interim speaker. The party said the speaker would step down as soon as the PUK returns to the parliament.

Narmin Osman, a member of the PUK leadership, told Kurdistan 24 that they will decide between MP Rewaz Fayiq and MP Begard Talabani within 48 hours.

Fayiq is supported by PUK deputy Secretary General Kosrat Rasoul while Talabani enjoys the support of the family of late secretary general, Jalal Talabani.

It comes after the KDP and PUK signed a political agreement following weeks of tensions. The two major Kurdish parties said they also agreed on Kirkuk governor and Iraqi justice minister posts which are reserved for Kurds. http://www.basnews.com/index.php/en/news/kurdistan/506270

Edited March 6, 2019 by 6ly410

[6ly410]

Gorran Willing Triple Meeting with KDP, PUK

http://www.basnews.com/index.php/en/news/kurdistan/506227

 BasNews   06/03/2019 - 01:11  Published inKurdistan

 

 

ERBIL - The Change Movement (Gorran) has expressed willingness to hold a triple meeting with the two major Kurdish parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) to resume the talks on the formation of the next cabinet in Erbil.

According to a report by Kurdistan 24, Gorran will start making preparations for the meeting next week while the KDP is optimistic towards such moves in order to ease the tensions among the political parties and help the process of the next government establishment accelerate.

The KDP has already signed political agreements separately with both Gorran and PUK on the formation of a new government.

However, the PUK has not made any comments on the suggested triple meeting, while political commentators believe that it can help the relations among the parties.

[6ly410]

Gorran demands meeting, deal between leading Kurdistan parties

 Kosar Nawzad |

3 hours ago

 

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The Gorran flag, along with those of Kurdistan and Iraq, flies over party headquarters in Sulaimani. (Photo: Kurdistan 24)

 

Kurdistan Erbil PUK KDP Gorran 

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ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A leading member of the Change (Gorran) Movement pushed on Tuesday for a multi-party meeting to ink a deal on the distribution of posts in the future government of the Kurdistan Region.

Gorran came in third place in elections held in September, securing 12 seats in the 111-seat regional parliament. In first was the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) with 45 seats and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) won 21.

Just over five months after polls, the leading parties appear to be finally nearing a deal to form the government, with the KDP leading the initiative to enter talks with various entities and facilitate the process.

The KDP finalized a deal with Gorran on Feb. 18, but talks have stalled with the PUK, who demanded a comprehensive agreement, inclusive of issues unrelated to government formation. Nevertheless, the KDP-PUK deadlock ended on Monday, as they signed what appeared to be a memorandum of understanding following a meeting between the leadership of both parties, described by the PUK as “historic.”

Now, with the KDP having accommodated both the PUK and Gorran on government formation, a meeting between all three parties seemed to be in order to bind the partnership between them for the coming term. The PUK and Gorran, in more direct competition than either is with the KDP in cities like Sulaimani, have yet to hold any meetings together.

“Certainly, the parties… must meet to write the government’s program,” Gorran leadership member Ali Hama Salih told Kurdistan 24.

He said that his party will work towards a possible convention between all sides in the coming week. The KDP seems to be in favor of such a meeting, with a senior party leader affirming that it is a necessary step in forming the new government during an interview with Kurdistan 24 on Tuesday.

Sheikh Atta Ahmad, the KDP official, said, “The [separate] deals of the KDP with both the PUK and Gorran must be turned into the foundation for holding a trilateral meeting.” http://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/3a1254b5-e403-443c-83e6-2ddbc69c6e54
Editing by John J. Catherine

 

[yota691]

Kurdistan Parliament holds a session to amend the law of the presidency of the region

 

 Twilight News    
 9 hours ago

"The Kurdistan Parliament will convene next week, which will witness the end of the boycott of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and return to attend the meetings.

According to available information, the session will be allocated to amend the law of the Presidency of the Kurdistan Region, and reactivate this institution again in order to expedite the task of the Prime Minister of the region in the formation of the government.

The two main parties in the Kurdistan Region of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan National Union signed on 4/3/2019 a comprehensive political agreement to form the new government of the region.

Keywords: 

[6ly410]

 

[6ly410]

 

The pros and cons of a new KDP-PUK deal

By DAVID ROMANO 5 hours ago 

530Views

         

.http://www.rudaw.net/mobile/english/opinion/060320191

This week Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) leaders announced a new power-sharing deal between the two parties. Replacing the arrangement arrived at between them in 2005, the details of the 18-point agreement have yet to be publicized. 

Speaking to Rudaw TV, PUK politburo member Saadi Pira said that the terms of the deal “…start out with the unity of the Kurdistan Region’s territory, preserving it and defending it from any threat.” 

Rudaw adds that according to Pira, “They will ‘try’ to reform the Peshmerga, police forces, and Asayesh to turn them into a ‘national force’ to better protect the Kurdistan Region. Other terms include ‘improving’ the KRG’s Department of Foreign Relations ‘in terms of diplomacy and relations’ and to create a ‘Regional Minister for Relations Affairs and Humanitarian Affairs.’ 

The parties aspire to greater transparency in the Region’s revenues and expenditure. The agreement also stipulates ‘partnership’ in the affairs of oil and energy, to see revenues ‘equally’ distributed among the provinces. ‘Consensus’ over the movement of Peshmerga forces during times of peace and war, constitutional reform, and amendments to election laws also feature in the deal.”  

Gorran, which also signed an agreement with the KDP earlier, welcomed the deal between the KDP and PUK.

On the one hand, such an arrangement comes as very welcome news for everyone in the Kurdistan Region. The Region achieved the most for itself and its people when the major Kurdish parties formed a similar agreement in 2005. Negotiating with Baghdad and competing in elections as a united party list, officials from Kurdistan secured a favourable constitution, many important posts in the Iraqi federal government, a healthy share of the national budget and a good measure of respect. 

All these gains started to fall away after the splintering of the PUK into different factions and the illness and death of PUK founder Jalal Talabani. With the PUK imploding, the 2005 agreement between the parties likewise foundered and the Kurds found themselves incapable of presenting a united front in Baghdad and elsewhere. These divisions culminated in the disastrous events following the September 2017 referendum on independence.

Such power-sharing deals come with frustrating drawbacks for many in the region, however. Both the KDP and PUK have been running Iraqi Kurdistan since 1992. Even after the PUK became the region’s third political party following the elections of September 2013 (when Gorran overtook it in Sulaimani province), the 2005 KDP-PUK deal and the PUK’s control of almost half the region’s Peshmerga forces meant that real control of Sulaimani and Halabja always remained in its hands. 

Now that the PUK performed better than Gorran in last year’s election, its grip on these areas is back and firmer than ever.

In Erbil and especially Duhok, meanwhile, no political party can challenge the KDP. With resources of the Kurdistan Regional Government and municipal governments at its disposal (similar to the situation in PUK-dominated areas), the KDP enjoys unmatched patronage networks to reward its supporters in its parts of Kurdistan.  

Although the patronage networks and corruption in Kurdistan are probably nowhere near as bad as in the rest of Iraq, governments in Baghdad do change on occasion following elections. For frustrated segments of Kurdistan’s population, this does not seem possible. And while the KDP and PUK appear a good deal more liberal and tolerant of dissent than almost any other government in the entire region save Tunisia and Israel, they have been in power almost thirty years now. 

The reaction in Kurdistan to the power-sharing agreement therefore seems predictably mixed.  People valuing stability and security appear happy to hear such news, hoping the Region’s leaders can replicated the gains they made for their people from 2005 to 2014.  If the ministries of Peshmerga, interior and finance can really be unified this time and the Peshmerga forces put under government rather than party control, the agreement will have made incalculable gains. 

Others who care more about deepening democracy, on the other hand, see little to cheer about when the two long-dominant parties in the region agree to keep dividing power between them.  They do not expect the KDP and PUK to relinquish party control of their armed forces and they do not believe either the KDP or PUK will allow other parties to fairly compete with them. 

Especially the New Generation Movement, a party formed to contest the 2018 elections, will not get much of a chance from KDP and PUK leaders in this new deal – most of whom believe New Generation serves as a proxy for Baghdad and Tehran and received financial support from them.  

Besides the stability-minded supporters of the deal and the democracy-focused critics, however, one might also consider a third kind of reaction the news of a renewed KDP-PUK pact: that of the cynics.  The cynics do not believe the deal will make it to the end of the week before collapsing.  

[DWS112]

Pompeo to Barzani: You have to speed up the formation of the Kurdistan government

March 7, 2019

 

 

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, called a telephone call leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party Massoud Barzani to form the Kurdistan Regional Government as soon as possible.

 
The spokesman for the US State Department Robert Paladino, "The Foreign Minister Pompeo stressed the importance of forming the Kurdistan Regional Government, to meet the aspirations of the people of Iraqi Kurdistan." 

 

"Pompio assured Barzani of the United States' intention to work with Iraq at the invitation of the authorities to destroy the terrorist organization," Paladino said.

 

Tensions between Baghdad and Erbil intensified after the authorities in the Kurdistan region of Iraq held a referendum on independence on September 25 last, considered by the Iraqi authorities unconstitutional and illegal.

Edited March 7, 2019 by DWS112

[6ly410]

Security developments, stability efforts lead discussions between senior Kurdistan officials, US delegation

 Kurdistan 24 |

An hour ago

 

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Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations, Denise Natali, and an accompanying delegation meet with Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) President Masoud Barzani. (Photo: Masoud Barzani's website) 

 

Kurdistan KRG Iraq Masoud Barzani Masrour BarzaniISIS United States 

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ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Security developments in Iraq, including stabilization efforts following the military defeat of the so-called Islamic State, led discussions on Thursday between a United States delegation and senior Kurdistan Region officials in Erbil. 

Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations, Denise Natali, and an accompanying delegation met separately with Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) President Masoud Barzani and Chancellor of the Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC), Masrour Barzani.

In her meeting with the KDP president, Natali conveyed “the greetings of US Vice President Mike Pence to President Barzani,” a statement released by Masoud Barzani’s office stated.

As a congressman, Pence visited the Kurdistan Region and met with senior Kurdish officials, including Barzani.

During Thursday’s meeting, “President Barzani and Dr. Natali spoke of the latest political developments in Iraq and in the Kurdistan Region,” the statement from Barzani’s office explained. 

Both sides also addressed the issues of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and “the ongoing threat of terrorism from the Islamic State,” and they “explored avenues forresolving such issues.”

Additionally, they discussed “the improved relations between Baghdad and Erbil and how that is seen as a promising step toward further stability and prosperity for the Kurdistan Region and the rest of Iraq,” the statement concluded. 

http://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/8e7b2f7d-5282-4e68-b37a-96660991e425