|
Kurdish and Shiite
parties in Iraq will attend the general elections on
January 30, 2004 with a joint list.
After negotiations with the Patriotic Union of
Kurdistan (PUK), Iraqi Kurdistan Democracy Party (KDP)
leader Mesud Barzani announced a decision to attend
the elections for the Iraqi and Kurdish Parliament
as one.
After the meeting held in the city of Salahaddin,
Barzani said: "The current situation forces us to
put the future of Kurdistan before our own
individual interests and join the same list to
guarantee the rights of the Kurdish people in Iraq."
PUK leader Jalal Talabani made a similar
announcement and made a plea to his people: "We call
on the people of Kurdistan to participate in the
elections as we need every single vote to obtain as
many seats as possible in the Iraqi national
assembly." The election on January 30th will be held
for both the 275-seat Iraqi parliament and the
111-seat Kurdistan autonomous parliament.
It is rumored that Shiite parties are also planning
to participate in the joint list. Representatives of
the two largest Iraqi Shiite parties, Dawa and the
Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution, and two
other secular Shiite leaders are reportedly close to
announcing the list, which is expected to include
representatives of the radical Shiite leader Muqtada
Al-Sadr.
Iraqi Interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, meanwhile,
has been meeting with tribal leaders living in
Jordan in search of support for the elections.
Allawi has reportedly met with Mecid Al-Suleyman, an
influential member of the Dulaim Tribe, and Imad
Shabib from the Iraqi National Agreement. Tribal
leaders from Ramadi and Felluce (Fallujah) also
attended the meeting.
http://www.zaman.com Turkish Newspaper
Top |
® 