Rudaw had reported that Masum, a Kurd, was delivering a message for the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) from Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and the Hashd al-Shaabi. Masum’s office has issued a statement denying that he was bearing a statement or demands from any official or semi-official Iraqi party.
Mala Bakhtyar, head of the PUK’s executive body, confirmed a meeting between senior PUK officials and the Iraqi president.
The meeting was held to discuss the situation in Kirkuk and was attended by Fuad Masum, Kosrat Rasul, Omar Fatah, Hakim Qadir, Hero Ibrahim Ahmed, Bafel Talabani, and Qubad Talabani, Bakhtyar said in a Facebook post.
“They discussed good ideas," in a two-hour-long meeting, he said. “We intend to hold a bigger meeting by Saturday to prepare a shared result.”
Masum was delivering a six-point message from Abadi and the Hashd al-Shaabi, Rudaw had reported, based on information from a reliable source.
The six points Abadi and the Shiite force are demanding of the PUK reportedly were: hand over Kirkuk airport, hand over K-1 military base, hand over all oil fields, hand over all ISIS militants held by the Peshmerga, allow the return of the Iraqi army to all places where they were stationed before ISIS, remove Kirkuk Governor Najmaldin Karim from his position. The PUK was given a deadline of 2 am Sunday morning to fulfill the six demands.
The PUK and its Peshmerga are the dominant Kurdish force in Kirkuk province.
Masum’s media office denied that he had a “message, demands or conditions of the Iraqi government or any other official or semi-official relevant party to deliver to the PUK leadership and the KRG [Kurdistan Regional Government].”
“The aim of his visit is to discuss the current crisis and find a quick solution to protect the country and our nation from danger and create appropriate conditions to reach a peaceful solution by returning to mutual understanding and dialogue among the people of one nation,” his media office stated, adding that the president has “his own constructive ideas on how to resolve the crisis and problems.”
Hemin Hawrami, of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and senior assistant to President Masoud Barzani, noted the six alleged demands were presented to the PUK only and predicted this latest effort to "divide and rule the Kurds" will fail, as others have.
Attempts to divide and rule the Kurds are doomed to fail. Before referandum failed, last night in attacking Kirkuk failed, & now thru 6 points from PMF only to PUK failed as well. There might be weak people, but overall we are a determined nation w/ a just cause.
— Hemin Hawrami (@heminhawrami) October 13, 2017
Iraqi forces and Hashd al-Shaabi are in a standoff with Peshmerga over Kirkuk. The Peshmerga sent 6,000 reinforcements to the disputed area on Thursday night to counter a buildup of Iraqi forces and Iranian-backed Hashd al-Shaabi.
The Peshmerga have withdrawn from a few posts and fortified their positions in a line of defense they believe can be protected with minimum casualties if conflict does break out in the oil-rich province.
The Kurdish forces, largely belonging to the PUK, have been in control of Kirkuk since Iraqi forces withdrew in the face of advancing ISIS militants in 2014.
In March, the PUK’s Black Force seized control of the state-run North Oil Company in Kirkuk.
Nearby is the K-1 military base that the Peshmerga took control of after it was briefly captured by ISIS. The military base has housed foreign soldiers from the global anti-ISIS coalition, including Americans training and advising the Peshmerga.
Rudaw cannot confirm the presence of coalition personnel at the base now. The coalition media office told Rudaw on Thursday that they will not become involved in the referendum, a “political issue,” but that they are “working to make sure that forces on the ground are not in harm’s way if conflict occurs.”
Hundreds of alleged ISIS militants are currently in Kurdish custody. During the recent offensive in Hawija, the New York Times reported that ISIS militants were advised by their superiors to surrender to the Peshmerga and not the Hashd al-Shaabi, and hundreds did so.
The Iraqi parliament voted to remove Kirkuk Governor Najmaldin Karim from his post in September, before the referendum, because of his support for the vote. Karim has refused to leave, arguing that the parliament does not have the power to remove him.
Peshmerga commanders told Rudaw in Kirkuk that the coalition has informed both the Iraqi and Kurdish forces that they will not allow either side to initiate a war.
Rudaw’s reporter in Kirkuk said that fighter jets have been flying over Kirkuk. Kurdish officials say the planes belong to the coalition.
Earlier in the day, Shiekh Jafar, a PUK commander, told reporters that Abadi on Thursday had set a 48-hour deadline for negotiation.
Last updated at 10:41 pm
