ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The leader of the Kurdistan Region’s opposition Change Movement (Gorran) met privately with the Kurdish prime minister and president for discussions that included the formation of the new government, sources said.
They said Gorran leader Nawshirwan Mustafa and Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani met behind closed doors with President Massoud Barzani in Erbil.
The meeting came after the president called on the prime minister, whose Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) came first in parliamentary elections in September, to begin talks with other parties on forming a coalition government.
Gorran came second in the polls, unseating the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) from its position as the enclave’s second-largest party and the KDP’s partner in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
“The visit’s aim is to normalize relations between KDP and Gorran,” said Fuad Hussein, the Kurdish president’s chief of staff.
“It is meant to send a message to the outside world that Kurds are united, and even if they are not united their thinking is the same,” he said, dismissing that the focus of the talks was over the new government.
Hussein reassured that the meeting with the Gorran leader would not be at the expense of KDP’s strategic alliance with the PUK, which came third in the September 21 polls.
“They talked about the formation of the government, but details are left for the committees,” he acknowledged, saying that the three leaders spoke generally about the need for a broad-based government. He gave no other details of the talks.
Other political issues, including replacing the governor of Sulaimani, were also discussed, sources told Rudaw.
Awat Sheikh Janab, a Gorran official, said he believed Mustafa’s meeting had been positive.
“At least the Gorran leader’s visit to Erbil can improve the strained relations between the KDP and Gorran,” he said.
A senior PUK official told Rudaw on condition of anonymity that the party was worried about the meeting, but admitted there were internal division among the top leaders.
“There are three wings within PUK now: Hero Ahmed, Barham Salih and Kosrat Rasul. The KDP does not know who to deal with within the PUK, so it is not unfair for the KDP to deal with Gorran,” the source said.
Farid Assasard, another PUK official, said that the Erbil meeting would decide whether Gorran would step out of the opposition and join the government.
Asked if a Gorran-KDP agreement would be at the expense of the PUK, Assasard said: “It all depends on the success of the meeting between the KDP and Gorran leaders. If they reach an agreement, then KDP will use a balanced policy towards PUK and Gorran.”
Assasard speculated that there might be an understanding between KDP and Gorran and if they reach an agreement, KDP has to review its relations with the PUK.
Abu Bakir Haladni, a senior official of the Kurdistan Islamic Union Party, said his group welcomed closer ties between Mustafa and Barzani. “We think it’s good that Barzani and Mustafa get along and we praise such a step,” the official said.
Meanwhile, the Islamic League of Kurdistan expressed concern about the meeting. “Mustafa’s visit is good, but if bilateral agreements between KDP and Gorran are signed this is bad,” said Muhammad Hakim, a senior official of the Islamic League.
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