SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region — A high-level delegation from the Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU) led by the party’s leader Salahaddin Bahaddin on Saturday met with Change Movement (Gorran) leader Omar Sayid Ali to discuss joint steps to improve people's living conditions in the Kurdistan Region and ease internal tensions.
The two parties agreed that in the next few months “all the reform parties as a whole should have shared positions and take steps jointly in a bid to improve peoples’ living conditions and calming the situations,” according to a statement seen by Rudaw reporter Arkan Ali released after the meeting at Gorran's headquarters in Sulaimani.
Gorran withdrew from the Kurdistan Parliament on December 20.
KIU, the largest Islamic party in the Kurdistan Region, did not follow suit. They gave the government an ultimatum of January 15, 2018, for "the improvement of the livelihood of the people."
“The situations of the Kurdistan Region, peoples’ living conditions and pressures on the authorities to execute reform projects were discussed,” the KIU statement from the meeting added.
Thousands of people began protests on December 18, pouring into the streets in Sulaimani and Halabja provinces condemning lack of services and the continued delay of civil servants' wages from the government. Protests turned violent when demonstrators clashed with riot police and security forces.
“Attempts to derail civil protests and taking military measures toward the problems were rejected flat-out [in the meeting],” the statement detailed.
In addition to Gorran, Islamic Group (Komal) also withdrew from the coalition KRG on the same day.
Both Gorran and Komal called on the KRG to form an interim government to be tasked with preparing for the upcoming elections and holding talks with the Iraqi government in the aftermath of the loss of the disputed or Kurdistani areas in October.
The two parties agreed that in the next few months “all the reform parties as a whole should have shared positions and take steps jointly in a bid to improve peoples’ living conditions and calming the situations,” according to a statement seen by Rudaw reporter Arkan Ali released after the meeting at Gorran's headquarters in Sulaimani.
Gorran withdrew from the Kurdistan Parliament on December 20.
KIU, the largest Islamic party in the Kurdistan Region, did not follow suit. They gave the government an ultimatum of January 15, 2018, for "the improvement of the livelihood of the people."
“The situations of the Kurdistan Region, peoples’ living conditions and pressures on the authorities to execute reform projects were discussed,” the KIU statement from the meeting added.
Thousands of people began protests on December 18, pouring into the streets in Sulaimani and Halabja provinces condemning lack of services and the continued delay of civil servants' wages from the government. Protests turned violent when demonstrators clashed with riot police and security forces.
“Attempts to derail civil protests and taking military measures toward the problems were rejected flat-out [in the meeting],” the statement detailed.
In addition to Gorran, Islamic Group (Komal) also withdrew from the coalition KRG on the same day.
Both Gorran and Komal called on the KRG to form an interim government to be tasked with preparing for the upcoming elections and holding talks with the Iraqi government in the aftermath of the loss of the disputed or Kurdistani areas in October.
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