KDP, PUK end Erbil meeting without agreement

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A high-level meeting between the Kurdistan Region’s feuding ruling parties ended in Erbil on Sunday with no agreement in sight and the leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) visibly unhappy.

Bafel Talabani, head of the PUK, led his party’s delegation to the more than four hour meeting with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), whose representation was led by politburo secretary Fazel Mirani. Neither party has immediately released an official statement following the meeting.

Asked by reporters on leaving the meeting if the KDP and PUK had mended ties, Talabani angrily responded, “Does it look like we’re on good terms?”

“The PUK will not stay quiet. Whatever happens from now on will be met with a proportionate response,” he said. “The PUK is history. The PUK is the blood of martyrs. The PUK is sacrifice. The PUK is a force.” 

Mirani said Talabani was responding to earlier remarks made by KDP central committee member Salar Othman to Rudaw. “Those in a place of authority within the PUK must understand the fact that the PUK is not the PUK of yesterday… The PUK is no longer the same political entity. It is no longer the same size. It no longer has the same voice,” Othman told Rudaw TV as the meeting was ongoing. 

Mirani emphasized that Othman’s remarks were his personal beliefs and not a reflection of official KDP policy.

The KDP politburo secretary described Sunday’s meeting as “positive,” saying they saw eye-to-eye on a lot of different topics. He acknowledged they had conflicting opinions on several issues, but expressed hope that they would resolve their outstanding issues in upcoming meetings. 

“Unfavorable circumstances will arise, but one must not be bothered by them. This is politics. In the upcoming meetings, God willing, we will resolve those problems… This is not the end of the world… We are two parties that share a long history with one another,” he said. 

The KDP and PUK are long-time rivals that have a tenuous power agreement to share power in the Kurdistan Region. Tensions between them have been escalating for more than a year over a variety of issues, with their disagreements hindering the political process in the Kurdistan Region. They were close to a reconciliation in May, before sparring in the parliament and the subsequent dissolution of the legislature put the process on hold. 

Their disagreement over the existing election law and electoral commission prevented the carrying out of parliamentary elections last year, leading the legislative body to controversially extend its term for an extra year. The self-extension was deemed unconstitutional by the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court, resulting in the dissolution of the Kurdish legislature with the electoral commission yet to be reactivated, casting doubt on the possibility of holding elections later this year. 

The two parties have also recently sparred over the distribution of funds to provinces and the transparency of revenue in their areas of control.