KDP, PUK strike 4-year political deal
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) have signed a four-year political agreement which includes measures to speed up the formation of the new Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
“We both are winners. Our people are the winners,” Sadi Pira, a member of the PUK politburo, told Rudaw.
“The security of our people is the priority, for Kurdistan to be stable. I hope everyone thinks of the people’s interests, not partisan interests,” said Fazil Mirani, secretary of the KDP politburo, adding that party interests are secured through serving people.
“One party can’t do certain political things without the other,” said Rasul, adding they hope to improve people’s lives, salaries, and to rectify past mistakes.
The politburos of the two parties met on Monday following a meeting on Sunday between Rasul and KDP President Masoud Barzani.
They discussed the new KRG cabinet and other outstanding issues like the post of Iraqi justice minister and governor of Kirkuk.
The KDP obtained 45 seats in its parliamentary election on September 30, while the PUK took 21.
“Today is a day that will be mentioned in the history of our nation, when the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democratic Party signed a political agreement,” said KDP spokesperson Mahmoud Mohammed.
The agreement is designed to strengthen unity and joint work to govern the Region towards furthering the interests of the people, the KDP spokesperson said.
“We can say that the agreement is generally aimed at tranquility, unity, and to protect the territorial unity of the homeland and for the interests of the people of Kurdistan,” Mohammed said.
Together they have to support a strong government that can improve people’s lives, fix salaries, and negotiate with the Iraqi federal government for the constitutional rights of the Kurdistan Region, he added
PUK spokesperson Lateef Shiekh Omar told reporters: “It is an agreement that will be the compass and guideline for our joint work for now and the future.”
A committee has been set up to oversee the deal’s implementation, he said. Speeding up the formation of a new government is a top priority, he added.
Both the PUK and the KDP stressed they want the agreement to establish political and economic stability, especially towards replenishing the economy and developing it.
Neither provided much detail on the substance of the agreement except that the return of the Peshmerga to the disputed city of Kirkuk will only come after negotiations with Baghdad. Only then will the KDP and PUK discuss the appointment of a new governor.
This is a developing story... Updated 5.26 p.m.
