Top Kurdistan officials met Monday to determine whether the region will participate in the government of Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi.
The meeting was headed by Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani and various Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) officials, including Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, Speaker Rewaz Fayaq and leaders of several political parties.
Member of Kurdistan’s negotiation team, Mohammed Saadeddine, had said the Kurds have a set of conditions for participating in the Allawi government, stating that despite receiving verbal approval on them, the Kurdish parties are demanding guarantees.
The conditions are ensuring the constitutional rights of the people of Kurdistan, providing financial dues and normalizing security conditions in the disputed areas listed in Article 140 of the constitution, Rudaw media network quoted Saadeddine as saying.
He expected the meeting of between the Kurdish president with the political parties to result in a decision to participate in the government if there are guarantees to meet these conditions.
The parties agreed with Allawi on Kurdish representation in cabinet. It will include four Kurdish ministers, three of whom will be chosen by the Kurds themselves and one appointed by the PM.
Adel Karim has been nominated to the Ministry of Trade, Shwan Ibrahim Taha to the Ministry of Justice and Rizgar Mohammad Amin to the Ministry of Justice. No final agreement has been reached on the candidates yet.
Deputy Speaker of the Iraqi parliament Bashir al-Haddad said the talks are ongoing, adding that Allawi showed some flexibility in his positions, which was seen as a positive sign.
