BLOOD FOR BLOOD OR NOT BLOOD FOR BLOOD – THAT’S THE QUESTION

Kurdish presidency denies any Barzani-Maliki dialogue on “blood for blood”

29.3.2014 – MESOP – The presidency of Kurdistan Region denied any phone talks between the region’s President Massoud Barzani with the Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki over the killing of an Iraqi journalist and the PM’s reaction to the death by using the term “blood for blood.”

The presidency’s Spokesman Omid Sabbah told Rudaw that reports about any negotiation between the two officials are far from being right. There were reports in some Arabic media that Maliki has called Barzani about the issue and has apologized to the Kurdish region’s president for using the term “blood for blood.” According to the reports Maliki has not known that the killer of the journalist has been a Kurd and has tries to use the issue for his electoral benefit against Amar al-Hakim, the leader of Iraq’s Islamic High Council and a rival of Maliki. A member of the Iraqi Kurdish President Jalal Talabani’s guards shot dead an Iraqi journalist and university professor days ago. The killing of the journalist disturbed already disputed relations between Erbil and Baghdad.