ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – After a cycle of deteriorating relations between Baghdad and Erbil, a leader of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's bloc reached out to the country’s autonomous Kurds on Saturday, as the Shiite bloc expects to win the largest votes in last month’s elections and must begin thinking of cobbling together a coalition.
Ali Shala, a leader of Maliki’s State of Law coalition, said that Kurdish participation in the new Iraqi government would benefit all sides.
He especially praised Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani as an “experienced politician who takes into account the current domestic and international circumstances when making decisions.”
Shala who is one of the well known faces of Maliki’s coalition, said that Barzani’s Kurdistan Democratic Party will be an essential part of the new Iraqi government.
The KDP is believed to be the biggest winner among all Kurdish parties who ran in last month’s Iraqi parliamentary polls.
However, Kurdish groups in general -- and the KDP in particular -- have been critical opponents of Maliki, accusing him of authoritarianism and hostility towards Erbil.
Even though Maliki was appointed as prime minister in 2010 with Barzani’s direct intervention, the Kurdish president rallied Kurdish, Sunni and Shiite parties in the summer of 2012 to withdraw confidence from Maliki’s government.
The attempt did not succeed because of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd who used his presidential powers to keep Maliki in power.
“The State of Law coalition believes that Barzani will not make the mistake of standing against Maliki’s third term in office,” Shala told Rudaw. “Maliki has won the majority of votes and will have 100 seats in the next parliament.”
Shala downplayed the disputes between Erbil and Baghdad, saying: “The Kurds and the State of Law have deep and historical relations and though they have had disagreements it is only natural and could be solved.”
He added that it would be unwise to boycott Maliki as a majority winner, because that would isolate the initiator of the boycott.
The Shiite politician said that the new government would consider everyone’s interests, especially the Kurds.
Shala’s comments are a reminder of similar statements made by Iraq’s Shiite leaders in the past, who have always found it easier to form alliances with the Kurds than the country’s Sunni blocs.
Shala confirmed this, by saying it would be best for the Kurds to ally with Maliki than with the Sunni leaders such as Ayad Allawi and Osama Nujaifi in the new government.
Kurdish officials, particularly the KDP, have not yet said anything about their plans for Iraq’s new government.
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