KDP and PUK are drafting a 4-year agreement

[Anthea]

KDP-PUK delegations to resume cabinet talks Monday

Delegations from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) will meet on Monday to resume government formation talks after the arrest of party members raised tensions

“We will discuss the formation of Kurdistan Regional Government’s new cabinet because it is time for it and it should no longer be postponed … in order to resolve pending issues with Baghdad,” Arif Rushie, advisor to the KDP, told his party’s KDP Info news agency.

According to PUK media, Monday’s meeting will focus on the formation of the KRG cabinet, the Kirkuk issue, and relations with the Iraqi government.

Kurdsat News also reported that a “well-informed” source has told them the KDP delegation will be headed by its leader Masoud Barzani and the PUK delegation will be headed by its acting leader Kosrat Rasul.

However, Rudaw correspondent in Erbil Sangar Abdulrahman has learned that the KDP delegation will be headed by its deputy leader and incumbent KRG premiere Nechirvan Barzani, who was nominated by his party for the position of Kurdistan Region’s president.

Abdulrahman also said Masrour Barzani, who was nominated by the KDP to form the new KRG cabinet, will also attend the meeting.

Relations between the two parties soured in recent weeks after the PUK arrested a KDP member in Sulaimani. The KDP responded by arresting a PUK member in Erbil. Both were released a few days later after PM Barzani condemned the retaliatory act.

The PUK is expected to call for the formation of a court with the authority to rule on disputes, similar to the Iraqi Federal Court. The idea is not popular with the KDP, however, which believes the Region’s existing courts already serve this function.

Also expected on the agenda is a call to create a transparent central institution to collect KRG revenues, calls to reshape foreign affairs to give the PUK more of a say, and normalization of the Kirkuk situation.

Government formation talks have moved at a snail’s pace since the September 30, 2018 election. The KDP emerged as the biggest party with 45 seats in the KRG parliament – short of an outright majority.

The PUK came second with 21 seats and the Change Movement (Gorran) third with 12. Both parties are wrangling over senior cabinet posts and deputy positions in the new government.

http://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/130120195

[Anthea]

KDP and PUK are drafting a 4-year agreement

The two ruling parties of the Kurdistan Region are set to sign a four-year agreement outlining major policy positions in a bid to stabilize Kurdistan and strengthen its position in the region

The main points of the new understanding between the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), according to information obtained by Rudaw, have been divided into governance, decision-making, political stances in the Kurdistan Region, relations with Baghdad, Kirkuk and the disputed territories, and relations with neighboring countries, especially Iran and Turkey.

A member of the PUK’s leadership council said they want to have a unified stance on these issues with the KDP.

"We don't have to have two policies, a KDP policy towards Iran and a PUK policy towards Iran. We don't want to have two policies of a PUK policy towards Turkey and a KDP policy towards Turkey," Fareed Assasard told Rudaw.

They also want to have a joint position on issues like Kurds in Syria and Turkey, and Syria itself, he added.

"If we can, from this understanding, formulate general viewpoints for matters, then there will be the opportunity for us to play a big role in the region," Assasard reasoned.

Representatives from each party have been selected to sit on a joint committee and they will start talks this week to hammer out the details.

This new accord could replace the "Strategic Agreement" that has been in place since 2005. But the new version would expire in four years, with the next parliamentary elections.

Nouri Hama Ali, a member of KDP’s leadership council, told Rudaw that a PUK-KDP agreement is important for stability.

It’s important "first for stability and tranquility all over Kurdistan, and second, to be united against our enemies and haters when they have ambitions in the Kurdistan Region," he said.

Harmony between the two ruling powers would also bring “comfort” to the people by decreasing political uncertainty, he added.

KDP and PUK signed a historic “Strategic Agreement” in 2005 that saw end of hostilities between them and reunified the Kurdistan Region. It was followed by a period of growth and stability as the two parties jointly ruled the Region.

However, relations have deteriorated, starting in 2013 when PUK lost its majority in Sulaimani to Gorran. KDP inched closer to Gorran, angering PUK.

Relations crumbled further on October 16, 2017 after elements within the PUK retreated from Kirkuk. They worsened again in October 2018 as the two parties both sought after the post of president of Iraq. The PUK’s Barham Salih took it.

Contentious issues between them include the governorship of Kirkuk governor, and KDP dominance in the fields of oil and foreign relations.

While the KDP wants to take each issue individually, including formation of the next Kurdistan Regional Government, the PUK argues there can’t be a stable government if they are fighting.

http://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/200120193

[Piling]

Does anyone know WHO is ruling PUK currently ? Since the betrayal of 2017, this party is a joke.