ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iraqi President Fuad Masum arrived in Erbil along with Vice President Ayad Allawi and other representatives from Baghdad to participate in the funeral of the late brother of the KRG prime minister. "We are very saddened and we of course share the pain of all the family of this friend who passed away like this at this young age,” President Fuad Masum said on his arrival at the airport. "There are representatives from a number of sides. This means that when there is a shared grief, all sides come together. These humane relations are very valuable. Even if you look at the political aspect, it has a certain meaning,” he added. He was greeted by KRG Minister of Interior Karim Sinjari, Erbil Governor Nawzad Hadi, and other officials. They will head to Pirmam, 27 kilometres northeast of Erbil, where the funeral of Dilovan Barzani is being held. Two representatives of Vice President Nouri al-Maliki, representatives of populist Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr, and former vice president Adil Abdulmahdi were also with the president. On Thursday, a delegation representing Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is expected to come to Erbil. The speaker of the Iraqi parliament Salim al-Jabouri had planned to visit on Thursday, but there is news that his trip may be cancelled. Dilovan Barzani, the twin brother of KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani, passed away in Erbil on Monday after a heart attack at the age of 51. He has been hailed as a social figure and fighter for the rights of the Kurdish people in the Kurdistan Region.
