Barzani Seeks Compromise On Draft Constitution
Iraqi Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani has called together Kurdish factions to discuss controversial aspects of the region’s long-awaited draft constitution.
![Kurdish Regional Government President Barzani speaks during interview with Reuters in Arbil Kurdish Regional Government President Masoud Barzani speaks during an interview with Reuters in Arbil, about 350 km (220 miles) north of Baghdad June 2, 2013. Iraqi Kurdistan will be forced to seek a "new form of relations" with the central government in Baghdad if negotiations fail to resolve their disputes over oil and land, the president of the autonomous region said. Picture taken June 2, 2013. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX10A6R](/sites/default/files/styles/article_hero_medium/public/almpics/2013/06/1-RTX10A6R.jpg/1-RTX10A6R.jpg?h=2d235432&itok=KxaAzrTy)
Kurdistan Region of Iraq President Massoud Barzani has asked the presidency of the Kurdistan Parliament to hold consultations with the Kurdish parties and forces regarding contentious items and articles in the region’s draft constitution, to reach national consensus on the draft.
As a result, disagreements have arisen between the two pro-government parties — the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) — and the opposition parties — the Movement for Change, the Islamic Group of Kurdistan, and Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU) — over the notion of national consensus.