President Barzani to visit Sulaimani, meet with different party officials

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani is expected to visit the city of Sulaimani on Sunday to meet with a series of senior officials from different political parties in a bid to resolve differences in the Region, his advisor told Rudaw on Saturday.

Barzani will meet with co-chair of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Bafel Talabani, Secretary-General of the Kurdistan Islamic Union Salahaddin Bahadin, and Kurdistan Justice Group leader Ali Bapir among a host of other political leaders in Sulaimani, according to Barzani's senior advisor Dilshad Shahab.

"This visit is very important and will have a great impact on breaking the barriers between the political parties and ending the political deadlock in the Kurdistan Region," the presidential advisor said, adding that Barzani is committed to uniting the Region's political parties who have recently been at loggerheads.

The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the PUK have recently renewed their efforts to end the political turmoil in the Kurdistan Region, as they make strides in their attempts to resolve differences and hold a unified stance.

Shahab added that Barzani will also attend the graduation ceremony of officers in a PUK military college in Sulaimani province's Qala Cholan.

The KDP and PUK have taken opposing sides in the quest to form Iraq's next government, with the KDP joining forces in a tripartite alliance with the Sadrist bloc and the Sunni Sovereignty Alliance, and the PUK allying with the Coordination Framework, a pro-Iran Shiite alliance.

Furthermore, the two leading Kurdish parties have failed to compromise on a candidate for the Iraqi presidency, as the KDP has fielded Reber Ahmed in opposition to the PUK’s choice of the incumbent Barham Salih.