Over a unilateral visit of a PDK delegation to Baghdad without telling other Kurdish parties, PUK’s political bureau announces a statement pointing out that “The step which PDK has made is not in favor of our national profits”.

Below is the detailed context of the statement:

A statement from the Media of PUK's political bureau

After the first day following the Iraq’s parliamentary election, PUK has requested the political parties to have a unified attitude and to visit Baghdad as one team so as to discuss our nations’ prerogatives according to the persistent Iraqi constitutional law. But, in contrast to a unified attitude, we heard from the Medias that today, on 22/9/2018, a PDK delegation stuff headed by Nechirvan Barzani-Deputy president of PDK- has been to Baghdad unilaterally to talk over the new Iraqi government formation and Iraq’s presidential post in particular. This comes after PUK has specified its own candidate “Dr. Barham Salih” for that position. This is despite the fact that during the opting of Iraq’s parliamentary president and his deputies, PDK had negotiated with the Iraqi authorities and parties again unilaterally. Although PUK has not stepped the legislative measures so far to register its nominee so as to wait for a joint viewpoint, this act of PDK does not come in accordance with a unified interior home of Kurdistan and attitude. Therefore PUK, by taking our national entitlement into account, initiates the political and legislative processes necessary for the election of its own candidate for Iraqi presidency and for the forthcoming Iraqi government formation. Though we attempted to have a negotiation with PDKs over this issue, but it’s weird PDKs have not shown their readiness in such an issue. Albeit, PUK has yet reiterating on a unified attitude and joint working policy with other Kurdish parties with the aim of cherishing our national supreme profits and strengthening Kurdistan region in Baghdad. Apparently, the previous events have proved the fact that unilateral working has never been in service of our nation’s supreme profits and never will it be.

PUK politburo’s announcement

22/9/2018

Translated by: Yadasht Salih