Roj Bash Kurdistan

April 18, 2014

ERBIL-Hewlêr, Kurdistan region 'Iraq',— The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) said it has signed the final agreement for the next Kurdish government with two other parties, while its strategic partner the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) said its leaders were still mulling options.

The KDP said it concluded an agreement Thursday for a coalition government together with the Change Movement (Gorran) and the Islamic League (Komal).

“We signed the final agreement to form the government,” said the head of KDP's negotiating team, Fazil Mirani.

The negotiations over the next cabinet, still ongoing seven months after the September 21 elections for the Kurdish parliament, have turned into a circus for Kurds awaiting the next Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

At the polls, while the KDP maintained its dominant position as the largest vote-getter, its strategic partner in the outgoing cabinet, the PUK, fell into third place, behind the rival Gorran.

Talks have been deadlocked over the PUK’s insistence on key security posts that other parties do not feel it deserves any longer, given the lesser seats it now has in parliament.

Last week, a KDP source had said that five parties, including the PUK, had agreed on a new cabinet, but that appears to have changed.

In addition the PUK, which is heavily backed by Iran, most recently called in Iranian negotiators who met with KDP and other party leaders, presumably in a bid to muscle them into giving in to PUK demands for key security positions, including control over the Peshmarga ministry.

Along with the PUK the Islamic Union (Yekgirtu) now also says it will wait to give its final answer. The KDP had warned it would declare a government by the end of this month, with or without the PUK.

“Next week the parliament will convene and Gorran will chair the session,” said Omar Said Ali, the chief negotiator for Gorran, which has secured the important Peshmerga and finance ministries, as well as the Parliament Speaker post.

After the latest KDP-Gorran deal, the PUK released a statement saying its leaders are still mulling over their choices and pursuing options, which some interpret as a warning the party might go into opposition.

Meanwhile, PUK negotiators met Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani at the Pirmam resort for more discussions.

And on Thursday, Lahur Sheikh Jangi, the head of the anti-terror squad in Slêmanî who is a PUK member, warned all parties against sidelining the PUK.

Jangi wrote on his official Facebook page that the KDP-Gorran agreement was an attempt to undercut the PUK. He warned of potential dire consequences if the 2005 strategic agreement betweenwww.Ekurd.net the KDP and PUK is ignored.

But the KDP and Gorran appeared to be putting their new agreement into practice, stressing the need for parliament to meet next week.

Based on the same agreement, Komal will have the ministry of agriculture and the department of the environment in the government of Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani.

Abdulstar Majid, a senior Komal official, confirmed that his party had “agreed with the KDP to take part in the eighth cabinet of the KRG."

He added that several important points have been included in the deal, the most important being a pledge to fight corruption.

“A committee from the participating parties will devise the government program that will include measures to fight corruption, increase transparency and justice," he said.

The Talks between the KDP and Yekgirtu failed to end in agreement. According to a Rudaw correspondent, Yekgirtu wants the electricity ministry it has been assigned to be exchanged for another ministry.

Asked if the KDP is ready to appease Yekgirtu by offering it another ministry, Mirani said, “If we can, we will do it."

Copyright ©, respective author or news agency, rudaw.net

Londoner wrote:Well PUK can take Internal Ministry. They asked for either Peshmerga or Internal Ministry. Now peshmerga gone to goran.

Piling wrote:The main trouble for PUK is that Goran won the elections. The other trouble is their incapacity to find a successor to Talabani.

Piling wrote:The main trouble for PUK is that Goran won the elections. The other trouble is their incapacity to find a successor to Talabani.

Piling wrote:True. Even during the 2009 election, PUK results were beaming to low, at a point that I heard officials of KDP wondered if the next time, it would be better to make an alliance with Goran. At the end, it happened.

Even before Talabani' stroke, they had many problems of leaderships and Suleymani province was agitated (especially in Halabja).

SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region—On two separate occasions on Saturday night a group of unidentified gunmen opened fire on the Sulaimani bureau of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), said Halo Ahmed Kurda, head of the bureau.


“The attackers were driving Land Cruiser SUVs and were waving green flags,” Kurda told Rudaw. “But we do not know who they were.”


According to Rudaw correspondent in Sulaimani two people were wounded in the shootings.


“Despite insults and physical assault, the guards of the premises had restrained themselves and avoided using their weapons,” said Kurda.


Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani described the incident as “an attempt to destabilize Kurdistan’s democratic atmosphere.”


“We do not see the incident as the plan of any political group and we assure everyone that the situation is completely under control,” said Barzani.


The prime minister said that the police and security forces have been assigned to investigate the shooting.


“I have faith in the security forces in Sulaimani to get conclusive results and maintain the security of the beloved people of Sulaimani,” he said.


The prime minister urged all parties, including the KDP to stay calm and trust the government and its institutions.


Lahur Sheikh Jangi, chief of the Anti-terror force in Sulaimani and a member of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), condemned the attack, saying, “Whoever is behind the shooting wants to deteriorate the relations between the parties”


“As the intelligence and defense unit and as the PUK we are responsible for security in Sulaimani, therefore such actions are against our image and we vehemently condemn it,” he said.


According to Sheikh Jangi, the SUVs had driven off into the city’s interior and that the security forces will continue their search for the culprits.


For his part, Latif Sheikh Omar, head of PUK’s first bureau in Sulaimani said, “We are against this kind of act. We condemn it and hope that it is doesn’t get overblown.”


Sheikh Omar said that the PUK is responsible for the city’s security and that any action that would destabilize the calm isn’t in their interest.


Meanwhile, he praised the goodwill shown by KDP leaders and Prime Minister Barzani who didn’t blame the incident on the PUK.


The KDP bureau chief in Sulaimani said that he and his colleagues had been taken by surprise and that the building was targeted from the outside.

- See more at: http://rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/1904 ... rqoYu.dpuf

SLÊMANÎ, Kurdistan region 'Iraq',— The Official of the fourth branch of Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) confirmed reports that an armed attack took place on the headquarters of his party in Slêmanî [Slêmanî] overnight.

“The incident occurred at 9 p.m. evening (yesterday) when I was in my house, because the party will celebrate in front branch 4 allowed by Slêmanî’s deputy governor office, Helo Ahmed Kurda said in a televised interview.

He added that three cars type Land Cruiser carrying green flags and some people inside it shot fire on the headquarters, adding that he quickly went to the headquarters and a large gathering of the masses came to the party.

However, three cars belonging to Kurdish Asayish security forces came to the place and had also opened fire when he was in the headquarters.

Kurda accused the security forces of negligence, wondering what gave the right for three cars to open fire on the branch.

Kurda said last night that the past nights witnessed also attack on supporters of Kurdistan Democratic Party, adding that the protections of the branch felt responsible and didn’t do any negative reaction towards it.

He noted that yesterday’s incident led to the injury of one person, adding that the security men arrested two people were not carrying any identification documents or communication devices and were released later.

For his part, the spokesman for KDPwww.Ekurd.net in Slêmanî, Abdulwahab Ali told Shafaq news, that" if such cases have been repeated, we will respond in civil manner."

He said that there are some who are trying to repeat the events of 17 February and delay the elections.

Since February 2011, till middle April 2011, thousands of protesters gathered daily in Slêmanî and other parts of Kurdistan against corruption and the lording over Kurdistan region by two main parties KDP and PUK. Kurdish protestors demand the ouster of the local Kurdistan government KRG, calling for improving services and living conditions and fighting corruption.

Most of the demonstrators opposed Kurdistan president Massoud Barzani, and the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party KDP. Ten people were killed and more than 700 others wounded and 220 more have been arrested in clashes between demonstrators and Kurdish security forces during a wave or protests that swept Slêmanî. The Kurdish security forces (Asayish) arrested and tortured a lot of activists and journalists.

After 62 days of protests, the Governorate of of Slêmanî has banned unlicensed demonstrations in the city. Heavy Kurdish forces deployed in Slêmanî city to prevent any demonstrations, and occupied the city center and other parts of Slêmanî. The Security Committee in Slêmanî banned on April 18 all sorts of protests.

These incidents come at a time when parliamentary elections and provincial council elections of the region are getting closer, which are conducted simultaneously in April 30, 2014.

Copyright ©, respective author or news agency, shafaaq.com | Ekurd.net | Agencies