President Nechirvan Barzani attended the funeral of the late veteran Peshmerga Sheikhallah Ibrahim in Erbil today. Responding to reporters after the funeral, the President commented on the latest political developments in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq. The following is a readout of his remarks:

The President spoke about the late Sheikhullah Ibrahim and said: “Mr. Sheikhullah was a well-known fighter of the people of Kurdistan. I knew him for a long time, from a very young age. He earned the respect of the Peshmarga wherever he served; he had the respect of the KDP members and everyone else. Both the Peshmarga and party members showed great respect for him. And we see today that he had the admiration of the people of Kurdistan. We see that a great number of people are participating in his funeral today. This is a sign of the loyalty of the people of Kurdistan for Mr. Sheikhallah, especially from the people of Erbil.”

On his efforts regarding the return of the PUK ministers to the Kurdistan Regional Government meetings, the President stressed: “I have urged them to do that (to return) and Prime Minister Mr. Masrour Barzani has urged them to do that, and we believe that the return of the PUK team (ministers) to the Kurdistan Regional Government (meetings) is necessary. They should resolve the issues in the government and of course the issues will be resolved within the Council of Ministers.”

Regarding the elections in the Kurdistan Region, the President said: “Before issuing the Presidential decree to hold elections, officials from the Kurdistan Region Presidency visited all political parties, and the day we have set for the elections was in consultation with the political parties in the Kurdistan Region. I hope all political parties in Kurdistan will cooperate to hold the elections on time.”

Regarding the agreement between Erbil and Baghdad, the President said: “It is a very important agreement and it is in the interest of the whole of Iraq. We have stressed from the first day that there should be an Iraqi solution to these problems,”

“It is often asked whether the Kurdistan Region was in favor of an agreement before. Yes, we were, but the federal government in Baghdad did not support it before. Fortunately, this time the government in Baghdad also showed readiness and we hope that this agreement will be implemented as soon as it is possible.

Asked whether the elections will be held on time, President Nechirvan Barzani said: “I hope so, and as I said, it is my legal duty as the president to determine the date of the elections, and we do have time, before the elections are held. We have spoken to the Kurdistan political parties before setting the date, and I hope everyone will support the elections to be held on time, because this is a legal issue for the Kurdistan Region and its credibility and should be carried out.