Mohammed al-Halbousi, Taqaddum party leader and former speaker of Iraq's parliament, responds to a question from Rudaw in Baghdad on May 5, 2026. Photo: Screengrab/Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Prominent Sunni Arab politician and Taqaddum party leader in Iraq’s parliament, Mohammed al-Halbousi, on Tuesday hailed his meeting with Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani as a “positive and important step” toward easing tensions and “opening a new page” in relations between his party and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).
Speaking to Rudaw’s Halkawt Aziz, Halbousi stated, “We held a meeting yesterday with Kurdistan Region President, brother Nechirvan Barzani, following prior coordination between the concerned parties,” adding, “We can say that this meeting represents a step that serves Iraq’s interests beyond partisan considerations.”
The influential politician, who previously served as Iraq’s parliament speaker (2018 - 2023), added that “the timing [of the meeting] was appropriate” and that it “focused on the general situation in Iraq and constitutional entitlements,” including ongoing consultations to form the country’s next government.
Halbousi’s remarks come after relations between his Taqaddum Party and the KDP had been strained in recent years, largely due to disputes over local positions in Iraq’s northern Nineveh province and the former speaker’s controversial 2024 remarks opposing the arming of “local” forces with heavy weapons.
Kurdish officials, particularly those affiliated with the KDP, condemned the latter statement at the time, viewing it as an indirect reference to the Kurdish Peshmerga.
Tensions deepened further when Halbousi last month backed Nizar Amedi for president. Amedi was the candidate of the KDP’s rival, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).
Khamis al-Khanjar, another prominent Sunni Arab politician and leader of the Sovereignty Alliance, who attended Monday’s meeting between President Barzani and Halbousi, also confirmed the breakthrough on Tuesday, saying it was part of his initiative.
Moreover, Halbousi emphasized the significance of the Kurdish leader’s visit to Baghdad, saying that “the role of President Nechirvan Barzani and the Kurdistan Region remains highly significant in Iraq’s overall political equation.”
“The challenges posed ahead of Iraq are serious and all political actors must contribute and assume their responsibilities in a manner that is appropriate to the current stage,” the head of the Taqaddum party stressed.
He also addressed the ongoing issue of delayed salaries for civil servants in the Kurdistan Region, stressing “fairness in the distribution of resources, as well as justice in the allocation of constitutional entitlements.”
“All citizens should receive their full rights - beginning with our people in the Kurdistan Region and extending to the southernmost part of Iraq, Basra province,” Halbousi said, urging that these entitlements be delivered in full.
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