![Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki (R) and Iraqi Kurdish President Masoud Barzani (L) hold a joint news conference in Baghdad, July 7, 2013. Barzani visited Baghdad on Sunday for the first time in more than two years, in a symbolic step to resolve disputes between the central government and the autonomous region over land and oil. The visit follows an equally rare trip by Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki who met Barzani in Kurdistan last month, breaking ice between leaders who have repeatedly accused ea](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2013/09/RTX11G5G.jpg/RTX11G5G.jpg?h=2d235432&itok=mJ6Tut__)
Mazen al-Zeidi is an Iraqi journalist and writer. He is a researcher in the field of religious and political ideologies. He contributes to an array of lraqi and Arab media outlets and is editor-at-large for the Baghdad daily Al-Mada. Zeidi is also a human rights and civil freedoms activist.