Kurdistan Region's next parliament convenes first session

[Anthea]

Kurdistan Region's next parliament convenes first session since election

No talks on government formation yet: PUK

Though the Kurdistan Region parliament held its first session on Tuesday, talks about forming the next government or selecting senior figures have not begun, said Saadi Pira, spokesperson for the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).

"No meeting has been held between the political parties to discuss a post,” he told reporters on Tuesday.

Since the Kurdistan Region doesn’t have a constitution, there are no timelines dictating the formation of government. Instead the parliament works by tradition.

The PUK plans to meet with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) within the coming days to test the waters, Pira added.

The PUK and KDP have publicly expressed their determination to work together in government, but they fell out last month over the post of the Iraqi president.

"It is not a final meeting. It is not a meeting for making big decisions," Pira qualified. They will focus on working on a governance alliance.

He accepted that the two parties differ on many points, saying “We aren’t one party to sing the same songs.”

But he noted they have achieved successes in the past when working together and other forces “to an extent.”

Pira said they are going into talks without conditions and will not accept ultimatums from anyone else.

http://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/061120181