The head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Masoud Barzani, was received on red carpets in with Baghdad and Najaf. Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi broke the protocol when he stood by the private airplane stairs to welcome Barzani and his accompanying delegation.
The red carpet appeared even in the bilateral meetings held by Barzani with other leaders in Baghdad and Najaf. Sadrist movement leader Moqtada al-Sadr was among the first who welcomed him, probably in response to Barzani’s reception of Sadr at Erbil International Airport years ago.
A Sunni leader who has met Barzani in Baghdad told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that the visit seemed different this time, yet every party had its own vision. However in Iraq, the devil is in the details, he added.
Masoud Haidar, who has moved to the Kurdistan Alliance and was in the delegation accompanying Barzani, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the visit affirms the support of Barzani to Iraq's Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi and the necessity of completing the ministerial cabinet in addition to revising the political process and putting a roadmap on solid bases to tackle the problems in Iraq.
Haidar said that the leaders were discussing frameworks and general points to reach an agreement. He added that Barzani’s visit broke the ice between Baghdad and Erbil.
Muhsin al-Saadoon, a leader in Kurdistan Democratic Party and former head of Iraq’s Parliamentary Legal Committee, said that the visit followed several changes that occurred in Bagdad and Erbil.
The huge victory of the Kurdistan Democratic Party whether in the federal or regional elections has proven the strength of the party, which has chosen to open a new page with everyone without exceptions, said Saadoon.
