Quiet mediation ongoing to reunite divided PUK party
SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region – Quiet mediation is ongoing between two factions of the PUK after a group, led by the first and second deputies of the party, Kosrat Rassul Ali and Barham Salih, broke away and formed a decision-making body in early September.
“We hope the steps taken so far will bring about a solution to our problems,” said Jamil Hawrami, a PUK leadership member who joined the breakaway group, in an interview with Rudaw.
He said that the party hoped to resolve their differences quietly as there was will on both sides of the party to resolve their problems.
The decision-making body’s main concerns about the party are that decisions are often one-sided, there is a lack of transparency with respect to the PUK’s income, and allied media outlets do not have a united presentation of the party’s position, Hawrami detailed. Mainly, it comes down to “lack of trust and the lack of a decision-making body,” he said.
Though mediation is ongoing, the decision-making body did not participate in a recent PUK leadership meeting, though they were invited. They have, however, participated in bilateral meetings between the PUK and the Change Movement (Gorran) as the two parties endeavor to heal their own rifts.
Hawrami would also like to see the PUK reunite with Gorran, though he expressed doubt that Gorran’s leaders are fully committed to reunification.
“Mr. Nawshirwan has always had the support and love of the PUK officials,” Hawrami said, referring to Nawshirwan Mustafa, the Gorran leader. “I expected him to play a more influential role in bringing the PUK and Gorran closer together and reunite them. Unfortunately he didn’t turn out to have this role.”
Mustafa, who Hawrami said is living overseas with no plan to return to the Kurdistan Region, is a charismatic leader who could play a role in uniting the PUK. “He has influence on Gorran and the PUK too, and we love him. He could play a useful role in settling PUK’s problems if he was here.”
It is only once the PUK’s internal differences are resolved, Hawrami believes, that reunification with Gorran could be possible. “When these problems are settled, we can then hold a congress and develop an agenda for reunification. If there is the will, the reunification of the PUK with the Gorran party will finish in 6 months’ time.”
“We hope the steps taken so far will bring about a solution to our problems,” said Jamil Hawrami, a PUK leadership member who joined the breakaway group, in an interview with Rudaw.
He said that the party hoped to resolve their differences quietly as there was will on both sides of the party to resolve their problems.
The decision-making body’s main concerns about the party are that decisions are often one-sided, there is a lack of transparency with respect to the PUK’s income, and allied media outlets do not have a united presentation of the party’s position, Hawrami detailed. Mainly, it comes down to “lack of trust and the lack of a decision-making body,” he said.
Though mediation is ongoing, the decision-making body did not participate in a recent PUK leadership meeting, though they were invited. They have, however, participated in bilateral meetings between the PUK and the Change Movement (Gorran) as the two parties endeavor to heal their own rifts.
Hawrami would also like to see the PUK reunite with Gorran, though he expressed doubt that Gorran’s leaders are fully committed to reunification.
“Mr. Nawshirwan has always had the support and love of the PUK officials,” Hawrami said, referring to Nawshirwan Mustafa, the Gorran leader. “I expected him to play a more influential role in bringing the PUK and Gorran closer together and reunite them. Unfortunately he didn’t turn out to have this role.”
Mustafa, who Hawrami said is living overseas with no plan to return to the Kurdistan Region, is a charismatic leader who could play a role in uniting the PUK. “He has influence on Gorran and the PUK too, and we love him. He could play a useful role in settling PUK’s problems if he was here.”
It is only once the PUK’s internal differences are resolved, Hawrami believes, that reunification with Gorran could be possible. “When these problems are settled, we can then hold a congress and develop an agenda for reunification. If there is the will, the reunification of the PUK with the Gorran party will finish in 6 months’ time.”