Iraqi Kurd leader to vist Turkey

The leader of Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq Masoud Barzani is set to visit Turkey this week on the heels of a U.S. trip for critical discussions on terrorism and ongoing tension with the Shiite-led government in Baghdad, according to a Turkish official.

Barzani last visited Turkey in January, when the two sides made plans to further their cooperation against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has camps in territory controlled by Barzani’s Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

The northern Iraqi’s visit comes after fugitive Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi, who is accused of running a death squad, arrived in Istanbul last week. The trip provides another indication of the political unity among Ankara, the Iraqi Kurdish administration and the Sunni leader against Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Al-Hashemi is currently sheltering in the autonomous Kurdish region, which he left for a regional trip including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

Barzani was warmly welcomed by the U.S. administration last week, which was also perceived as a warning to al-Maliki’s government in its disputes with the KRG.

Meanwhile, al-Hashemi has said he will stay in Istanbul for “however long is necessary” and that Iraq needs Turkey’s help in solving its political crisis.

Al-Hashemi is currently residing with his family and guards at an apartment in Istanbul’s Ba?ak?ehir district. In his temporary residence, al-Hashemi told Turkish daily Milliyet that his country needed him and that he would not allow his opponents to push him aside.



/Hurriyet Daily News/