WASHINGTON,— The United States has not pressured the Kurdistan Region’s political parties to extend Massoud Barzani’s term, the State Department said on Monday. Spokesman John Kirby, in response to a question by NRT’s Washington correspondent Sarkawt Shamsulddin, said Kurdish parties invited Ambassador Brett McGurk to meetings in Erbil and that he did not put pressure on participants. “Any assertion that Brett McGurk or any other American delegate or any other Americans there in Iraq was [sic] putting undue pressure on the parties to do one thing or another is absolutely false,” Kirby said. “We want a unified approach by all the political parties to reach a consensus and to go forward so that they can best represent the people of the region,” he added. Members of the five major parties met late on August 18 in a last-minute attempt to reach an agreement on the presidency and called on Parliament to postpone a debate scheduled for the next day. Masoud Barzani’s two-year presidential term extension expired at midnight on August 20.
Political party members who attended the August 18 meeting reported that representatives from the United States, Britain and United Nations were also present.
Kirby said the U.S.’ position is that the parties should “take a unified approach forward to best represent the people of the region.”
The parties have yet to reach a consensus, although Fuad Hussein, Chief of Staff to the Presidency, said members of the five major parties will meet for a fifth and final time in Erbil on Wednesday, after failing to agree on a political solution during previous meetings over the last week.
Massoud Barzani has led Kurdistan region as president from 2005 for two executive terms and his last term was extended in 2013 by ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) for two more years on the condition that he can no longer run as president.
Many political parties believe that the President must be elected through a Parliamentary system.
Copyright ©, respective author or news agency, nrttv.com | Ekurd.net
SOURCE
Kirby said the U.S.’ position is that the parties should “take a unified approach forward to best represent the people of the region.”
The parties have yet to reach a consensus, although Fuad Hussein, Chief of Staff to the Presidency, said members of the five major parties will meet for a fifth and final time in Erbil on Wednesday, after failing to agree on a political solution during previous meetings over the last week.
Massoud Barzani has led Kurdistan region as president from 2005 for two executive terms and his last term was extended in 2013 by ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) for two more years on the condition that he can no longer run as president.
Many political parties believe that the President must be elected through a Parliamentary system.
Copyright ©, respective author or news agency, nrttv.com | Ekurd.net
SOURCE