ERBIL, Kurdistan Region—Kurdish political leaders agreed on Saturday to resume negotiations on their participation in the Iraqi government through small, but organized delegations.
In a multi-party meeting the leaders of Kurdistan Region’s five major political groups drew a plan for dealing with their Iraqi Shiite and Sunni counterparts on the formation of the new government.
“Our meeting focused on two main points,” Bilal Sulaiman, a senior official of the Kurdistan Islamic League (Komal) who attended the meeting told Rudaw. “First point was the structure of the cabinet Abadi has been tasked to form and second was a proposal by the Shiite alliance for renewed talks between Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis.”
Sulaiman said that the Kurdish parties will at the negotiation state deal with Baghdad through three-member committees that will rotate after each round of talks.
Haider al-Abadi, prime minister-designate was asked by Iraqi President Fuad Masum to form a new government last week after Nouri al-Maliki was forced to step down.
After months of political turmoil in Iraq and the withdrawal of Kurdish ministers from Baghdad, the Kurds are now gearing up to join Iraq’s new cabinet under Abadi.
“We have not set any preconditions for joining the Iraqi government,” said Sulaiman.
Western leaders have stressed that their support for Kurds and Iraq to fight the threat of the Islamic State (IS) has to go hand in hand with a political agreement in Baghdad and an inclusive government.
