SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region—A year and a half after he was flown to a hospital in Germany for a stroke he suffered in 2012, Iraq’s President Jalal Talabani returned to his hometown of Sulaimani on Saturday.
Talabani, 81, was received by only a small circle of his immediate family members, among them his wife Hero Ibrahim Ahmed, and his son Qubad Talabani.
“That is what my father wanted,” said Qubad.
Talabani is also the secretary general of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).
The speaker of Kurdistan’s parliament, Yousif Muhammad, described Talabani as “an experienced politician and revolutionary who has played a role in bringing close together Iraq’s different political groups.”
“Talabani has come home at a time that Iraq and the Kurdistan Region is witnessing a new stage and a new horizon has emerged for our people,” Muhammad said in a statement.
In Talabani’s absence as president, Iraq has undergone a series of political crisis. Relations between Baghdad and Erbil have deteriorated over energy and budget disputes and great parts of the country are now under the control of the militant Islamic State (IS).
Upon his return however, Talabani would have inner party issues to address, among them finalizing a PUK candidate for Iraq’s presidency.
Currently, there are three main candidates for the post who are Barham Salih, Najmaldin Karim and Fuad Massoum.
Salih, former Kurdistan prime minister and Talabani’s own deputy, is a strong candidate to fill the position of Iraq’s presidency that is allocated to the Kurds according to a political agreement among the Shiites, Sunnis and the Kurds.
On Saturday he expressed his joy at Talabani’s return in a tweet: “Welcome home President Talabani. You have been sorely missed! Really joyful day in midst of all the mayhem in Iraq.”
Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani said that “Talabani has played an important role in the political and revolutionary life of Kurdistan and Iraq and in the most difficult days he has shown resilience and defended the rights of his people.”
Meanwhile, in the past two months the Kurdistan Region has entered a new political reality with the takeover of Kirkuk and all former disputed territories in Diyala and Nineveh provinces last month.
For his part, Kurdish President Massoud Barzani has asked the parliament to set a date and prepare to conduct a referendum on self-determination and possible separation from Iraq.
Talabani’s support for Erbil is vital and this has been pointed out in most official statements made on his return.
President Barzani said in a message on Saturday, “His return will certainly will lead to strengthening the unity and brotherhood of the Kurdistan parties,”
Talabani is credited with keeping Iraq’s Shiite and Sunni leaders on the negotiating table, even during the country’s violent sectarian war.
It is unlikely, as senior PUK leader Adnan Mufti pointed out, for Talabani to engage in politics with his past vigor. But members of his party and others hope that he can contribute to resolve some political disagreements.
“I welcome the return of my life long friend #MamJalal, his presence was missed as he was essential to the stability of #Iraq & #Kurdistan,” wrote veteran Kurdish politician Mahmoud Othman in a tweet.
Talabani’s motorcade drove from the Sulaimani airport to his residence in Dabashan, where members of the PUK political bureau are expected to visit him.
