Barzani asks Gorran leader Mustafa to lead delegation to Baghdad

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region—Efforts by Kurdish parties to end a year-long political deadlock reached a new level this week when Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani asked head of the Gorran movement Nawshirwan Mustafa to lead a negotiating delegation to Baghdad for talks on independence.

Rudaw has learned that Barzani’s special envoy for talks with other parties, Fuad Hussein, has delivered a message from the president to Mustafa recommending that he leads a team to talk to Iraqi leaders on the question of referendum and independence.

Barzani’s suggestion comes as part of a package of proposals his Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) has offered Gorran and other groups as a solution to the political deadlock.

“There is still the issue of trust but the relations between Mr. Mustafa and Mr. Barzani are good and we expect Mr. Hussein’s visits to increase this trust and give Mr. Mustafa a clearer picture,” a Gorran official told Rudaw.

Hussein, the presidential envoy, has met with Mustafa twice in the last two few weeks as well as with the heads of all other political groups in the Kurdistan Region.

Relations between the KDP and Gorran deteriorated last year when the KDP sacked Gorran ministers and its speaker of parliament Yousif Mohammed following days of demonstrations that resulted in the death of several KDP members.

Now, as part of the solution package, the KDP has offered Gorran the post of deputy prime minister while suggesting the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) takes the post of the speaker of parliament.

KDP officials insist that an old agreement they had with Gorran on running a coalition government fell apart and that certain posts given to Gorran by the KDP as concession are to be renegotiated.

In recent weeks however, especially since the start of the intensified talks, Gorran has expressed willingness to let go of the post of speaker of parliament if their other conditions are met.

Gorran seeks an amendment to the constitution that would limit the president’s power, changes the presidential to a parliamentary system and more check and balance for the country’s finances.

Kurdish parties have told Rudaw that they are optimistic about the renewed talks and that they hope the visits of the presidential envoy will bring the deadlock to an end.

Adan Mufti, a senior member of the PUK leadership and former speaker of parliament said that the third visit by Hussein to Sulaimani next week is a good sign “and it will increase the common ground among the parties,”

Mufti’s party however, cannot agree on whether or not to take KDP’s offer for the post of parliament speaker. Some of them believe the downside of the offer is that their own current deputy prime minister would lose much of his authority if a second post under the same name is added for Gorran.

Barzani and the KDP believe that the time has come to talk to Baghdad on a peaceful separation of the Kurdistan Region from Iraq and for that unanimity among Kurdish parties at home is a must. Hence intensifying the talks and making offers for a resolution, its leaders say.

Barzani asks Gorran leader Mustafa to lead delegation to Baghdad

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