SLEMANI — The Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU) and the Kurdistan Justice Group (Komal) have separately stepped up efforts to mediate between the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), but their initiatives have yet to result in a meeting between the two leading Kurdish parties.
Fakhraddin Qadir, head of relations for Komal, said on Monday that his party had conveyed a message from PUK President Bafel Talabani to KDP President Masoud Barzani as part of efforts to facilitate a meeting between the two sides.
“Prior to our meeting with the KDP, Kak Bafel visited Mawlana Ali Bapir, and during our visit to Kak Masoud Barzani, we delivered his message,” Qadir said.
He said Komal had called for a summit between the KDP and PUK, but it remained unclear whether the two leaders would agree to meet.
“Although we called for a summit meeting, it remains unclear whether they will meet or not. We fulfilled our responsibility and delivered our message regarding the situation; now we are waiting on them,” Qadir said.
The initiative followed separate mediation efforts by the KIU, which also met with leaders of both parties in an attempt to narrow their differences.
Muhammad Hawdiyani, a member of the KIU politburo and its mediation delegation, said the party had received a positive response from Talabani.
“During our visit to Bafel Talabani, he expressed his readiness to meet. We later visited Kak Masoud and are now awaiting the KDP’s official response,” Hawdiyani stated.
KDP says meetings must produce results
The KDP has expressed willingness to participate in talks if they serve the interests of the Kurdistan Region, while stressing that future meetings should lead to concrete political outcomes.
Hiwa Gailani, a member of the KDP Central Committee, said the party remained committed to dialogue and unity.
“The message of His Excellency President Barzani during the last Eid al-Adha was very clear; he explicitly called for unity and a joint meeting of all parties,” Gailani said.
“Any meeting that serves the interests of the Kurdistan Region and its people will be accepted by the KDP without hesitation,” he added.
KDP spokesperson Mahmoud Muhammad said on Saturday that the party had intensified its efforts to resolve political differences since the Kurdistan parliamentary elections and would continue working to overcome obstacles to the formation of the new cabinet and the reactivation of parliament.
“We consider it necessary to remove the obstacles standing in the way of forming the cabinet and reactivating parliament,” Muhammad said.
He stressed that Kurdish political parties had a responsibility to respond to the mandate given to them by voters.
Regarding potential talks with the PUK, Muhammad said the KDP wanted negotiations to produce tangible results rather than simply create another round of meetings.
“It is very important that future meetings yield results, rather than just being meetings for the sake of meetings,” he said. “We must present concrete outcomes to the people of Kurdistan and put them into practice.”
The renewed mediation efforts come amid continued political disputes between the KDP and PUK over the formation of the Kurdistan Regional Government’s new cabinet, the functioning of parliament and the broader distribution of political power in the Kurdistan Region.