SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Co-president Bafel Talabani said on Sunday an agreement between the party and Change Movement (Gorran) to run in the Iraqi elections as an alliance is the beginning to unite the Kurdish home.
The PUK co-leader met with German Consul-General in Erbil Klemens Semtner in Sulaimani city on Sunday.
Talabani and Semtner discussed unity of the political parties and the agreement between the PUK and Gorran as well as freedom of expression in the Kurdistan Region, the PUK co-leader’s office said in a statement.
Talabani reaffirmed “the PUK’s enthusiasm and support for unity and harmony of the Kurdish home so as to succeed in any effort to bring the parties together within the framework of a national project, and put the political conflicts and differences in the service of public interests,” the statement read.
“The PUK’s door for dialogue is open and we want our direction and thoughts to be in the service of Kurdistan, even if they are apart,” Talabani was quoted as saying.
Talabani also said the “party’s intentions and personal disputes should not be considered as a measure for political relations because the Region’s interests are above all conflicts,” according to the statement.
Regarding the PUK’s agreement with Gorran to form an alliance for early elections in Iraq, Talabani said it was the beginning of uniting Kurdish home.
“This alliance has national and patriotic interests and it is not against any force or party, but we want to strength the position of Kurds in Baghdad and secure our rights through this way,” Talabani said, noting that they wanted to expand the “national front” as well.
The PUK and Gorran formed “Kurdistan Alliance” earlier this month to run in early parliamentary elections in Iraq as “one list”. Iraq set October 10 for early elections.
Concerning freedom of expression, Talabani said the PUK was with the independence of judiciary and that it did not want the court’s independence and decisions to come under question due to “political justification”.
“We have asked the legal and district centers to review these decisions so that we won’t be a reason for tarnishing the experience of democracy in our Region,” he added.
