The PUK will meet with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in Pirmam on Sunday, Mufti said.
Earlier on Saturday, the PUK announced they are prepared to form a special committee with its fellow Kurdish parties to begin taking practical steps towards holding a referendum on Kurdish independence.
“Independence is a democratic and natural right of the Kurdistan nation,” the PUK’s politburo said in its statement. “[Holding] a referendum to achieve independence, as the self-determination of the Kurdistan nation in the Region and other Kurdistani areas, is the main and longstanding objective of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.”
The PUK will continue to “walk in this direction,” the statement added, clearing the air after reports speculated that the party was not focused on the issue of self-determination, a demand the PUK has campaigned for since it was founded in 1976 by former Iraqi President Jalal Talabani.
The PUK is one of the main political parties in the Kurdistan Region. It holds key positions in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the governorship of Kirkuk.
The statement from the party leadership said that they are sending a delegation to meet with other Kurdish parties to form a committee “to take practical steps to implement the phases of referendum and the issue of Kurdistan independence.”
The announcement of a meeting between the politburos of the PUK and KDP follows a joint statement released by the two parties in January regarding forming a committee that would be tasked with talking with Baghdad about Kurdish independence, a referendum, and Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution which concerns the so-called disputed areas.
The two parties released a joint statement following a high-level meeting headed by KDP’s deputy leader Nechirvan Barzani and PUK’s first deputy leader Kosrat Rasul in Erbil in January. They are also the prime minister and deputy president of the Kurdistan Region, respectively.
Article 140 was integrated into the Iraqi constitution after the removal of the Baath party in Iraq. It concerns areas claimed by both Erbil and Baghdad, such as Kirkuk and some areas in Nineveh.
The constitution requires that Iraqis displaced by “Arabization” be compensated and moved back to their original areas, a process that has been resisted by many Arabs who have lived in disputed areas for decades. Kurds see Article 140 as a way to remedy the injustices of “Arabization” policies and strengthen the Kurdistan Region.
Kirkuk, though it falls under Article 140, has been secured by the Peshmerga since mid-2014 and the local government voted to raise the Kurdish flag over government buildings in the city last month.
A referendum on Kurdish independence has been long anticipated in the Region, with many Kurds eager to express their desire for statehood in a vote.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, speaking to Rudaw on Wednesday, said the outcome of such a referendum is clear. The question, he said, is whether or not the Kurdistan Region can act on it while Iran, Turkey, and Syria are all opposed to the separation of Kurds from Baghdad.
Abadi said he does not support separation of the country, saying it would be damaging for both Baghdad and Erbil.
On Thursday, Kurdish President Masoud Barzani informed the Secretary General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres that Erbil will hold an independence referendum “at the earliest time” and he asked for the UN to be “understanding” of Kurdish desires on this issue.
