The leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), Masoud Barzani, said on Tuesday he did not want for the Kurdistan Region to have poor relations with Iran.
Barzani in an interview with French Radio Monte Carlo said that there were problems between the KDP and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) over strategic issues and efforts are being made to effect a united Kurdish home and resolve these matters.
“There is difficulty in implementing the agreements, the parties want to create problems for the federal government,” he said.
“I am concerned about the problems between Erbil and Sulaymaniyah,” he said. “I will do my best to overcome the problems and create Kurdish unity.”
He also stated there would not be a compromise over the structure of the Kurdistan Region, noting he considered it a strategic issue.
Speaking on Iran’s missile strike on Erbil in January, Barzani said that certain parties in the country attacked Erbil because of their inability to confront the main international powers.
“I am sure that if a Mossad headquarters had been in Erbil, Iran would not have been able to bomb it,” Barzani said.
A missile attack launched by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in January struck the home of businessman Peshraw Dizayi, killing him and four members of his family. The IRGC claimed it was targeting a Zionist headquarters in Erbil.
Barzani said the Kurdish anti-government opposition parties have withdrawn from the Iran-Iraq border in accordance with an agreement between the Kurdistan Region, Iraq and Iran. Iran has targeted the opposition groups in cross-border attacks.
The KDP leader also touched on the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court’s recent ruling on the Kurdistan Region’s parliament, noting he was concerned. Barzani stated he believed the federal court had exceeded its constitutional authority and said its verdict went against the Kurdistan Region.
The federal court recently reduced the number of seats in the Kurdistan parliament from 111 to 100 and slashed minority quota positions.
“We are concerned about the situation in Iraq and the democratic process in Iraq is under real threat at home and abroad,” Barzani said.
