Former Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mohammad al-Halbousi traveled to Erbil on Saturday, January 8, along with Khamis Khanjar, the leader of the Iraqi Sunni Coalition, and met with Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani, Rudaw reported.

According to the report, developments in the Iraqi political arena, measures to hold the first session of the Iraqi parliament and the formation of a new government were among the most important issues raised during the meeting.

During the meeting, Barzani stressed the need to bring the various Iraqi factions closer together.

Meanwhile, a Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the KDP joint delegation traveled to Baghdad on Friday and met with representatives of the Sadr Movement, as well as delegations from the Coalition for Taqadom and Azm.

Mahmoud Mohammed, the official spokesman for the KDP, said that the Sunni movements in Iraq were entering the talks on the formation of a new Iraqi government and wanted to get closer to the Kurds, and that the Kurds and Sunnis also stressed that it was better for the Shiite movement to reach a deal among themselves so that the process of forming a new Iraqi government will proceed.

He added that an agreement had been reached on a joint work plan between the PUK and the KDP, that no agreement had yet been reached on key positions, and that there was still time for the Kurds to choose a candidate for the Iraqi presidency.

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