MESOP LATEST : Kurds & US to Discuss New Iraqi Government

08.09.2014 – Hoshmand Sadiq – BasNews, Erbil – Senior Kurdish officials are expected to meet US and UN representatives in Sulaymaniyah on Monday afternoon. They will discuss Kurdish participation in the new Iraqi federal government.Zana Rostayi, a member of the Kurdish negotiating committee in Baghdad, told BasNews, ’The Kurdish negotiation committee and Shiite National Alliance haven’t reached an agreement over Kurdish demands for the structure of the new Iraqi government.’

’This causes problems for the Shiite National Alliance nominee for the new Iraqi PM, Haidar Abadi, who is expected to form a new cabinet within the next 15 hours,’ said Rostayi. Kurdish members have 62 of the 328 seats in the federal parliament, meaning that Abadi can form a cabinet without them if he secures the support of Sunni and other parties. As the Kurdish and Shiite sides have failed to reach an agreement, the Kurdish committee has returned to the Kurdistan Region today, Monday. They will meet with the Kurdish political leadership, Nawshirwan Mustafa head of Gorran, and representatives of the US and the UN in Sulaymaniyah. A final decision as to whether Kurds will participate in the new Iraqi government will be made. According to information obtained by BasNews, Kurdistan Region PM Nechirvan Barzani will participate in the meeting along side Mustafa. They will be joined by a senior official from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), the Head of Kurdistan Islamic Group (Komal) Ali Bapir and the Head of Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU) Mohammed Faraj. Previously, BasNews reported that the head of the Gorran Movement, Nawshirwan Mustafa would represent the Kurdish leadership in talks with the Baghdad government.