The joint committees established by the two ruling parties of the Kurdistan Region drafted a new understanding between the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) outlining a common agreement on several political, administrative, military, economic and even social issues in the region.
“The draft agreement is still under revision and discussion between the leaderships of both parties,” spokesman for the PUK Saadi Ahmad Bira told Asharq Al-Awsat on Tuesday, saying both sides are set to sign it agreement soon to replace the “Strategic Agreement” inked between the two parties in 2006.
The new agreement aims to stabilize Kurdistan and strengthen its position in the region and could largely contribute in dissipating tension between the two sides.
In response to the Kurdistan Region’s independence referendum, Iraqi forces and Popular Mobilization Forces mobilized in 2016 against the Kurdish Peshmerga in Kirkuk and other disputed areas, ousting the Kurdish forces that had previously fought alongside them in the war against ISIS.
Former PUK member Areez Abdullah told Asharq Al-Awsat, “If implemented, the deal should open a new horizons for cooperation and joint coordination between the two sides, particularly at the administrative level. It should also solve disputes between the Kurdistan Region and Baghdad, in addition to several controversial issues between the PUK and KDP.
Abdullah added that most of the clauses of the agreement, which is expected to be signed on Feb. 18, aim to establish a transparent regime in the Kurdistan Region.
The draft of the PUK-KDP deal includes 18 points. It calls on both parties to work as one team in parliament and the government, either in the Kurdistan Region or in the federal government of Iraq and to follow the highest level of transparency in financial issues.
