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Tripartite Delegation in Erbil to Resolve Presidential Candidate Impasse

Iraqi President Barham Salih (Reuters)
Iraqi President Barham Salih (Reuters)
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Tripartite Delegation in Erbil to Resolve Presidential Candidate Impasse

Iraqi President Barham Salih (Reuters)
Iraqi President Barham Salih (Reuters)

Iraq's Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi arrived in Erbil on Monday, accompanied by the candidate for the prime minister post, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, and Head of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) Falih al-Fayyadh.

The delegation held talks with Head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) Masoud Barzani in a bid to reach an agreement on the disputed presidential candidate between the two main Kurdish parties, the KDP and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).

The Management of State coalition urged both Kurdish parties on Sunday to either agree on a consensual candidate or set up a selection mechanism.

This means proceeding according to the 2018 scenario, when current President Barham Salih of the PUK won over his main rival, Fuad Hussein, of the KDP.

Salih considered that waiting a year after Iraq's last general election is a reminder of the political class’s failure to fulfill its constitutional tasks and duties.

He cited the wasted opportunities, which represent an incentive to unite ranks and hold inclusive national dialogue that prioritizes the country and its citizens’ interests and fulfills their right to a free and dignified life.

“It is time to end the cycle of crises and establish good governance,” Salih said.

Caretaker Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, for his part, renewed his call on all political parties to engage in serious constructive dialogue to end the political deadlock.

“On October 10, 2021, we implemented the most important task in the government’s agenda. We held early legislative elections that were fair and professional, according to the United Nations and all international observers,” he stressed in a statement published by his office.

Kadhimi added that during the past two years, the government worked on a different approach based on dialogue, understanding, cooperation and partnership.

“We were calm and rational while addressing the various events and situations, despite the unfair attacks against,” the PM said, noting that this approach is aimed at maintaining calm and stability to establish a political culture that adopts democratic values and renounces violence and tyranny.

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Arab World

Sudanese Stakeholders Hold Roundtable Talks in Geneva

A previous meeting of the coordination of Tagadum with the officials of the African Mechanism in Addis Ababa. (Tagadum on Facebook)
A previous meeting of the coordination of Tagadum with the officials of the African Mechanism in Addis Ababa. (Tagadum on Facebook)
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Sudanese Stakeholders Hold Roundtable Talks in Geneva

A previous meeting of the coordination of Tagadum with the officials of the African Mechanism in Addis Ababa. (Tagadum on Facebook)
A previous meeting of the coordination of Tagadum with the officials of the African Mechanism in Addis Ababa. (Tagadum on Facebook)

Geneva has hosted a third “roundtable” of meetings involving Sudanese political and civil groups aimed at bridging the gap between the country’s warring parties. These talks, coordinated by the French organization Promediation, follow similar meetings held previously in Cairo and Geneva. The primary goals are to negotiate a ceasefire and facilitate humanitarian aid to civilians.

The two-day meetings, which began on Monday, include representatives from the Coordination of Democratic Civil Forces (Tagadum), the pro-army Democratic Bloc coalition, and armed movements aligned with the bloc. However, some groups have announced their boycott of the meetings.

The Democratic Bloc has shown conflicting stances on attending the Geneva talks. Mohammed Zakaria, spokesperson for the bloc and a member of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), announced his group’s decision not to participate.

Omar Khalafallah, a leader in the Democratic Unionist Party and another bloc spokesperson, refuted Zakaria’s statement, insisting that the bloc would attend the meetings to promote a national vision.

A source within the Democratic Bloc told Asharq Al-Awsat that the meetings revealed significant internal divisions in the coalition. The JEM, led by current Finance Minister Jibril Ibrahim, appears to be charting its own course, which the source described as a form of defection.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Sharif Mohammed Osman, a leader in Tagadum and the political secretary of the Sudanese Congress Party, explained that the meetings seek to achieve consensus on ending the war through negotiated solutions, starting with a humanitarian truce to ensure aid delivery and the opening of safe corridors.

These measures are considered preliminary steps toward a ceasefire and a peaceful resolution to the conflict, he underlined.

A wide array of civilian leaders are participating in the talks, including key figures from Tagadum, such as Sudanese Congress Party leader Omar Al-Dukair, Federal Gathering Party leader Babiker Faisal, and head of the Sudan Liberation Movement – Transitional Council Al-Hadi Idris.

Osman expressed optimism that the participants would issue a unified final statement addressing the peaceful resolution of the war and agreeing on a humanitarian truce to facilitate aid delivery.

In October, Cairo hosted a similar meeting, which resulted in a final statement signed by the participating groups, except for the Sudan Liberation Movement – Minni Minnawi faction and the JEM – Jibril Ibrahim faction, which refused to endorse the Cairo declaration despite attending the discussions.

Promediation, a French organization supported by the French and Swiss foreign ministries, has played a consistent role in Sudanese affairs. Since June 2022, it has organized roundtable discussions, initially focusing on negotiations between Darfuri armed movements before expanding its scope to include Sudanese political and civil forces in the wake of the war.