WATCH: video in Kurdish
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region A high-level Kurdish delegation led by Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani arrived in Baghdad Thursday morning for negotiations with Iraqi leaders on a range of issues, including budgetary disputes between the two capitals and a roadmap for the post-Mosul offensive.
The delegation includes senior leaders of all Kurdish parties and considered as top-level, as it is led by President Barzani, who has stayed away from the Iraqi capital for many years.
According to the office of the Kurdish president, In a phone call to Barzani US Vice President Joe Biden expressed support for his visit to Baghdad, hoped it would be a successful and that negotiations and cooperation between Erbil and Baghdad will continue.
According to delegation member Kaka Hama, the leader of the Kurdish Socialist Party, the United States, Iran and Turkey have applauded the Kurdish leaders for their effort towards negotiations with Baghdad.
The Change Movement (Gorran) is absent from the delegation and a Kurdish MP told Rudaw that Aram Sheikh Muhammad, a Gorran MP, had turned down an invitation to join the team on behalf of his party.
Muthana Amin, a Kurdish parliamentarian in Baghdad, told Rudaw that the makeup of the delegation was a chance to close the rift among Kurdish parties and an opportunity to ask Baghdad for the monthly Kurdish budget it has blocked.
“The Kurdish political differences should not matter at this point and what is important is that we must pursue people’s salaries in Baghdad,” Amin said.
A statement from the office of Kosrat Rasul Ali, deputy secretary general of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), said that the delegation will be seeking a solution for all disputes between Erbil and Baghdad, chief among them salaries of government employees.
“They will negotiate for a solution for salaries of civil servants and creating a suitable roadmap to fulfill the political ambitions of the Kurdish people, based on a mutual understanding,” said the statement.
The statement from Rasul, who is a member of the delegation, said that “The priority of the delegation will be to raise the questions of Kurds’ right to self-determination and a chance for Kurdish unity.”
The Kurdish President’s visit to Baghdad comes at a time when Iraqi troops, Kurdish Peshmerga and coalition forces are gearing up for a major offensive to drive the Islamic State (ISIS) from Mosul.
Dindar Doski, a political analyst in the city of Duhok, believes that the meeting between Kurdish and Iraqi leaders was crucial both for the battle against ISIS and to ensure there will not be future tensions between Iraqi and Kurdish forces in the area.
“This visit is important as we are gearing up for Mosul,” Doski told Rudaw. “These talks will hopefully bridge the gap that has been created between both capitals.”
Doski said the delegation has created some form of Kurdish unity but warned that people should not be overoptimistic about the possible outcomes of the visit.
“It makes us happy that all major parties are represented in this delegation but we could not be overoptimistic about solving everything, though this is a good step towards solving disputes with Baghdad.” Doski said.
He added: “This is undoubtedly a political visit as the delegates are not government officials, but this is a good step for negotiations. We can’t say in two or three days the payment problems will be solved, but this could bring both governments together.”
The Iraqi government has blocked Erbil’s annual share of the federal budget for more than two years, which has caused great strain for the Kurdish government. Erbil has since cut civil servants’ salaries and managed to pay its employees half-salaries from sparse oil sales.
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