Shafaq News/On Friday, the Kurdish leader and President of the Kurdistan DemocraticParty (KDP), Masoud Barzani, affirmed that the stage is now set for a “comprehensivepeace process” in the Middle East concerning the Kurdish cause.
Kurdistan Region Elections
Speaking at the MiddleEast Peace and Security (MEPS24) Forum at the American University in Duhok, Kurdistan Region,Barzani said, "Elections were held in the Region despite doubts they mightnot happen or face issues…I would like to thank the people of Kurdistan, whodemonstrated their awareness and made us proud of this achievement.”
"We hope everyone will respectlegitimacy…Once the Independent High Electoral Commission announces theofficial results, negotiations will begin among all parties to expedite thestart of parliamentary work," he added.
The Kurdish leader expressed hopefor “support to ensure that in the future, there would be one Region, one parliament,one Peshmerga force, and one government representing all the components of the Region.”
He further pointed out that Iraqwill hold legislative elections in less than a year, and “the KurdistanRegion's experience could serve as a reference.”
Population Census
Barzani commented on the nationalcensus held on November 20-21, stating, "We received assurances that thecensus has no political motives and will not affect areas covered by Article140 of the Constitution."
He emphasized that “dialogueresolves all issues,” highlighting “the current strong relationship andcooperation between the federal and Kurdistan Regional Governments to addressoutstanding problems.”
Regional Crises
Regarding the regional situation, Barzanisaid, "The crises in the region and the scenes of war in Lebanon and Gazaare tragic…We hope this war ends and the tragedy stops," stressing that "thekey priority is to keep Iraq out of this war."
"We expect thesituation to change after the new US president is elected, with signs of asignificant policy shift under Trump’s administration, compared to PresidentBiden's,” he continued.