Iraq’s Kurdish president visits Baghdad amid ongoing protests

President of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region Nechirvan Barzani yesterday met with Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi in Baghdad in the wake of weeks of anti-establishment protests that left hundreds of protesters dead.

Barzani announced his support for the government in Baghdad, with officials saying the officials discussed the recent developments in Iraq as well as bilateral relations.

Barzani is scheduled to meet with Iraqi President Barham Salih and Parliament Speaker Mohammed Halbousi ahead of a Parliamentary session to discuss the ongoing protests.

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The head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert is expected to attend the session and brief the country’s leaders and lawmakers about her recent meeting with the country’s top Shia leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani.

Sistani is said to have backed a UN roadmap which would see an end to the crisis, which includes electoral reforms and anti-graft measures within two weeks, followed by constitutional amendments and legislation on infrastructure within three months.

Two more protesters were killed overnight in Baghdad. The death toll now stands at over 320 people with more than 8,000 injured.