Sulaimani, some 200 km southeast of Erbil, is the stronghold of Talabani’s Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). The PUK has been advocating for the right to self-determination since its creation in 1976.
Barzani said the mission to achieve the nation’s long-held quest for independence would have been easier if Talabani was in better health. Talabani is affectionately called Mam, meaning uncle.
“My dear brother President Mam Jalal, I will never forget your brotherhood,” Barzani told the estimated 20,000 at the rally.
The PUK and Barzani’s Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) have been rivals for decades. The two fought a bloody civil war in the 1990s that the two leaders later described as a mistake that should never have happened. The parties entered a strategic alliance in 2007 agreeing to share power. The two parties have great control over the Peshmerga and security forces.
Barzani said that he was happy to be in Sulaimani advocating for independence. He said the people of Sulaimani are “pioneers” in the Kurdish struggle, highlighting events in history when the people of Sulaimani fought against Iraqi and foreign rulers.
He said the people of Sulaimani strengthened his belief in Kurdistan and its quest for independence, a “national” matter that Kurds are united in supporting.
“We are all in the same ship,” Barzani concluded.
Kosrat Rasul, Masoud Barzani, Hero Ibrahim, and Mala Bakhtiyar attend the rally. Photo: Rudaw
Barzani earlier met with senior PUK officials, one of the two parties which have a strong voting base in the city — the other being Gorran, or Change Movement.
He met with Hero Ibrahim, and Vice President Kosrat Rasul, the PUK's first deputy. Iraqi President Fuad Masum, a Kurd who has been in Baghdad, was also in Sulaimani and joined the meeting.
Hemin Hawrami, senior assistant to Barzani, called the meeting "historic."
The event on Wednesday took place in the same stadium where the “No for Now” campaign that opposes the vote held a rally earlier this month, drawing about 2,500 people, according to Reuters estimates.
The No-campaign had called for a protest against the visit by President Barzani to the city, but no such protest materialized.
The No-campaign maintains while they support an independent state for Kurdistan, now is not the right time.
Gorran, Kurdistan’s second-largest party which won the most votes in Sulaimani in 2013 elections, and the Islamic Group (Komal) have not yet supported the independence vote. But they do not oppose it, either.
The two parties said in a joint statement on Wednesday that the Kurdish leadership should take into consideration alternatives offered by the international community and postpone the vote.
The High Referendum Council, led by Barzani, has said no alternative has been offered that could secure an independent state for the Kurds and therefore the vote will go ahead on September 25.
He met with Hero Ibrahim, and Vice President Kosrat Rasul, the PUK's first deputy. Iraqi President Fuad Masum, a Kurd who has been in Baghdad, was also in Sulaimani and joined the meeting.
Hemin Hawrami, senior assistant to Barzani, called the meeting "historic."
Now. In slemani a historic meeeting ,President Barzani , President Fuad Massoum, Hero Xanm, Mr. Kosrat & senior KDP/PUK leaders. UNITY pic.twitter.com/9Zw28tklgh
— Hemin Hawrami (@heminhawrami) September 20, 2017
While the independence vote has attracted big support for the historic move in both Erbil and Duhok, people in Sulaimani and Halabja provinces had shown less interest.
The event on Wednesday took place in the same stadium where the “No for Now” campaign that opposes the vote held a rally earlier this month, drawing about 2,500 people, according to Reuters estimates.
The No-campaign had called for a protest against the visit by President Barzani to the city, but no such protest materialized.
The No-campaign maintains while they support an independent state for Kurdistan, now is not the right time.
Gorran, Kurdistan’s second-largest party which won the most votes in Sulaimani in 2013 elections, and the Islamic Group (Komal) have not yet supported the independence vote. But they do not oppose it, either.
The two parties said in a joint statement on Wednesday that the Kurdish leadership should take into consideration alternatives offered by the international community and postpone the vote.
The High Referendum Council, led by Barzani, has said no alternative has been offered that could secure an independent state for the Kurds and therefore the vote will go ahead on September 25.
