Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani this week hosted a meeting with the leaders of various political parties represented in Kurdistan in which the commitment to a united front on issues of national importance was renewed.

President Barzani welcomed the representatives and leaders of the parties and said the meeting was an important step towards rebuilding relations between the parties since the disagreements earlier in the year, giving particular emphasis to relations between the opposition parties and the Kurdistan Region Presidency.

“Our most important tool in the face of major challenges is our unity. I am very pleased to see we are all united on national issues,” he said.

The President briefed the meeting on the outcome of his meeting with the representatives of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki, saying that both sides agreed to respect the constitution and federalism and to work towards achieving a government of genuine national unity in Baghdad. The Prime Minister’s representatives expressed their readiness to help resolve the disputes between Erbil and Baghdad, including honouring the Erbil agreements -- agreements that at the time helped the process of government formation.

The President said that the dispatch of a Kurdish delegation to Baghdad is of the utmost importance in order to defend the democratic process throughout Iraq and to avoid any side being marginalised.

In addition to holding a discussion regarding the designation of the delegation to Baghdad, the representatives agreed to look into reshaping the supreme council of the Region’s political groups to enable regular meetings to take place.

Regarding the provincial elections in the Kurdistan Region, President Barzani stressed that preparations must be accelerated in order to avoid further delays. The President said that any disagreements on the establishment of an independent electoral commission for the Region should be resolved without the interference of party politics.

The participants of the meeting concurred that the meeting in itself sent a strong message that there is harmony and agreement between the ruling and opposition parties in Kurdistan.

The party leaders thanked the President for his recent visit to the Germiyan area, the town of Khaneqin, the city of Suleimaniah and for meeting with the various opposition leaders, and they agreed that he should be the pivotal figure in resolving disputes within the Region. They also stressed their support for maintaining a united position on issues related to the rest of Iraq for the sake of the people living in the Kurdistan Region.

The opposition leaders said the meeting was important in finding solutions to both domestic and national issues. They reaffirmed that there are still some outstanding disputes, but stressed that they bear a historic national obligation to the people of the Kurdistan Region and recognise that political unity is the only way to realise the Region’s aspirations.

Following the meeting, President Barzani publicly announced that a Kurdistan Region delegation will soon visit Baghdad for talks on outstanding issues between Erbil and Baghdad. The delegation will hold talks with Iraqi government officials and political leaders on the implementation of the agreements that already exist between the various political parties and which led to the formation of the Iraqi government.

The political parties represented at the meeting included the Kurdistan Democratic Party, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, the Change Movement, the Kurdistan Islamic Union, the Socialist Democratic Party of Kurdistan, the Kurdistan Islamic Group, the Kurdistan Communist Party and the Kurdistan Toilers Party.

The meeting was also attended by Prime Minister Salih, Dr Arsalan Bayiz, the Deputy Speaker of the Kurdistan Parliament, and Azad Barwari, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region.