ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Masoud Barzani, president of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Bafel Talabani, leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) met in Erbil on Thursday, discussing the current political situation in Iraq. They decided to face challenges in the country together, according to a joint statement. The latest protests by Iraq’s rival political forces in Baghdad and their differences over the future of the country has caused unrest. KDP and PUK are also part of the current political deadlock in Iraq as both are racing over the position of the country’s president. Barzani and Talabani had a meeting in Erbil Thursday afternoon to discuss the latest developments in Iraq. “They discussed and exchanged views on the current situation in Iraq and developments,” read the joint statement, adding that both leaders decided to “work on the unity of Kurdish political forces regarding the challenges both Iraq and the Kurdistan Region face.” They also decided to hold more similar meetings in the future to create unity among Kurds. Iraq held parliamentary elections in October but the political parties have failed to elect a president and a prime minister for the country due to disagreements. The position of president has been held by Kurds for nearly two decades. PUK wants to keep Barham Salih in the largely-ceremonial position but the KDP has rejected him, instead nominating Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) Interior Minister Reber Ahmed for the position. The Iraqi political parties have called on both Kurdish political parties to hold “more serious” talks in order to reach an agreement over the position of Iraqi president.
