Kurdish leaders to reactivate Parliament

Leaders of the autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq yesterday agreed to reactivate Parliament which has been stalled for nearly two years due to political differences, the Supreme Council for the Referendum said in a statement.

Leaders in the area made the decision during a meeting which was held under the chairmanship of President Massoud Barzani and which was attended by his deputy, Kosrat Rasul Ali, Prime Minister, Nechirvan Barzani, and representatives of the political parties and the region’s national and religious groups.

The statement said the leaders agreed to reactivate Parliament within two weeks to support the referendum being held to decide if the Kurdish region should seek independence from Iraq. The vote is due to take place at the end of September.

The leaders also agreed to mandate Massoud Barzani and Kosrat Rasul to form a delegation to negotiate with Baghdad on the referendum. A source close to the meeting, who preferred not to be named, said the region intends to send a delegation to Baghdad before 10 August.

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The parliament was completely disrupted two years ago following political disputes between the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), led by Barzani, and the Movement for Change, the largest opposition party in the region.