“The meeting stressed that the solutions should be in the direction of respecting the rights of all communities in Kirkuk and in the service of maintaining stability and peace in the city and providing services to citizens and revival of Kirkuk within the framework of national consensus,” Barzani’s office said in a statement.
In addition to representatives from the Arab and Turkmen blocs, a number of MPs and political leaders including Khamis al-Khanjar, head of the Sunni Sovereignty party, also attended the meeting.
The winning parties of Kirkuk’s provincial council elections have been at loggerheads for more than seven months as the absence of a clear majority at December’s polls has hindered the appointment of the next governor and distribution of administrative positions.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani has repeatedly met with representatives of all the components from Kirkuk’s provincial council separately in recent months in a bid to reach an understanding about forming the local administration.
In a statement on Sunday, the Arab bloc - the council’s largest unified bloc with six seats - said that the Iraqi premier had praised their unified stance and adherence to the governorship of Kirkuk during their meeting.
Kirkuk’s Kurdish parties also jointly stated in late July that the governorship must be filled by a Kurd, but they have yet to announce a formal alliance. The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) has five spots on the 16-seat council - the most of any party - and is also affiliated with the winner of the Christian minority quota seat. PUK’s rival, the KDP, holds two seats on the council.
Both parties initially tried forming alliances with the Arab and Turkmen parties, but none of the attempts have materialized. The Turkmen have two seats on the council and have called for the governorship to be rotated between the three major components.
The council had its first meeting on July 11 and by law, it must form the local administration within 30 days.
