Talks on deals & replacement of Iraqi president Talabani

June 12, 2013 – aswataliraq.info – BAGHDAD,— Iraqi press continued Wednesday their follow up of Iraqi Premier Nuri al-Maliki’s visit to Erbil, Kurdistan region, and the agreements reached there.

Al-Mashriq daily reported that “political rumors on Erbil meetings contained a deal between Maliki and Barzani on Kirkuk question”. Kirkuk question is one of the disputed cases between Baghdad and Erbil, as well as other political entities.

The paper added that Maliki-Barzani meeting was of “protocol type to lessen the differences between the two sides”. Kurdish MP Mahmoud Othman, as reported by the paper, declared that the “joint meeting was ambiguous and non-transparent”.

Al-Destour daily reported that the Kurdish region put a number of names to the Presidency post, instead of President Jalal Talabani, who is residing in a hospital in Germany. – No names were given, but confirmed that the State of Law bloc had “no reservations that Barham Saleh will assume this post”. Al-Zawra’ daily, organ of the Journalists Union, reported that the post of the presidency is not vacant, and there hopes that “Talabani will return to his post”.

Al-Mustaqbal daily reported that 1000 Kurdish soldiers working in the disputed areas “made a mutiny and joined the Kurdish Peshmerga forces. It added, quoting military officials, that they refused the orders during Tuz Khurmatu and Sulaiman Bek incidents. Meanwhile the Ministry of Peshmerga in Kurdistan Regional Government KRG denied news about the integration of members of the Brigade 16 to their forces stressing that 1373 Kurdish soldiers and officers did not receive their salaries from the federal government since past May.