BAGHDAD, Iraq - In their first round of talks on forming a new government in Baghdad, Iraqi and Kurdish groups agreed on the division of some parliamentary posts, based on the country’s religious and ethnic makeup.
According to Tariq Gerdi, the representative of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in the negotiations, Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish negotiators agreed on Sunday on the leadership of all parliamentary committees.
After months of political turmoil and conflict in Iraq’s Sunni regions, Kurdish parliamentarians and other political delegates returned to Baghdad last week to negotiate the Kurds’ participation in a new Iraqi government.
“As Kurds, we will get the parliamentary committees for oil and gas, foreign relations, higher education, health and the provinces,” said Gerdi, who met with the Sunni parliament speaker, Salim al-Jibouri, together with his Iraqi and Kurdish counterparts.
Gerdi said that the Shiites will preside over 14 committees, the Sunnis six, the Kurds five and one committee will be headed by other minority groups.
“These posts are divided in a way that keeps the balance of Iraq’s different groups,” Gerdi told Rudaw.
He added that the Kurds also retain the right to have representatives in the other committees led by their Shiite and Sunni counterparts.
“These posts were decided based on the election wins of each party,” Gerdi added.
Iraqi leaders are under pressure from the international community, particularly the United States, to form a new government and get the political process rolling.
Iraq’s caretaker Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari echoed the views of Kurdish leaders at a press conference on Sunday, saying that the Kurds are keen to have a genuine participation in the Iraqi government.
“But our experience shows that Baghdad doesn’t honor its promises,” Zebari worried.
Zebari, one of the main negotiators in Baghdad, fell out last month with Iraq’s former prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, after the premier accused the Kurds of harboring “terrorists” in Erbil.
“We are representing the people of the Kurdistan Region and we will insist on our demands,” said Zebari.
“We have pointed out all the concerns of the Kurdistan Region and there is broad international support for the Kurds,” he added.
The United States, Britain and other European countries have delivered military and logistical support to Erbil in its fight against the Islamic State (IS/ISIS). Meanwhile, they encourage Kurdish leaders to reach an agreement with Baghdad on forming a new government.
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