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Kurdish leader says he is against sectarian
domination of new Iraqi government.
ARBIL, Iraq - Kurdish leader Massud Barzani
spoke out Thursday against any one of Iraq's ethnic
and religious groups dominating the country's new
government, following talks with interim prime
minister Iyad Allawi.
Both spoke cautiously about their intentions amid
intense behind-the-scenes political bargaining over
the shareout of top posts after landmark January 30
elections.
"Our meetings are part of consensual steps and to
make sure that no party - whether it is Shiite,
Sunni or Kurd - monopolises power," said Barzani,
the head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP),
one of the two main Kurdish factions.
"We will not accept anything that goes outside of
the consensus," he told reporters.
A joint list formed by the KDP and the rival
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan is expected to be the
second biggest group in the new 275-member national
assembly behind the main Shiite coalition, the
United Iraqi Alliance.
Allawi, a secular Shiite, leads his own party which
is in third place, according to latest figures from
the count.
The interim premier told reporters his talks with
Barzani had focused on "the consensus that all
political groups must reach to prepare Iraq for a
democratic future which will see the participation
of all categories in Iraqi society."
Allawi would not say if he was supporting Kurdish
demands for either the presidency or the premiership
in the new administration. "Any Iraqi has the right
to be a candidate for such a post," he said.
"If we want to build a united and democratic Iraq
that gives everyone the same chance, a Kurd has the
right to be a candidate for any function, just like
an Arab."
PUK leader Jalal Talabani announced last week that
he would be a candidate for either prime minister or
president in the new government.
Shiite leaders had said they wanted the prime
minister's post and proposed giving the presidency
to the Sunni Arab community, much of which boycotted
the election, while the Kurds made do with the
speakership of the national assembly.
Allawi did not say if he would support Talabani, who
headed the Kurdish list for the national assembly,
while Barzani is to lead the Kurdish regional
government.
Barzani said he had no agreement with Allawi about
any post and that no Kurdish decision would be taken
until the final election results were announced.
The outgoing prime minister announced after the
election that he would embark on a "national
dialogue" in a bid to persuade Sunni Arab parties to
take part in talks on the new government and
constitution.
Allawi met the heads of both Sunni and Shiite
factions on Wednesday as part of his consultations.
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