.Resignations roil prominent Kurdish party in Iraq
SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq: The deputy leader of a powerful Kurdish party headed by Iraq's president has submitted his resignation along with several other senior officials, throwing the group into turmoil ahead of parliamentary elections later this year.
President Jalal Talabani's Patriotic Union of Kurdistan is one of two main parties dominating the government in Iraq's Kurdish autonomous region and a dispute inside it could damage Kurdish unity during a particularly delicate time.
The Kurds feel threatened by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's recent efforts to extend the power of the Arab-dominated central government which they fear will come at the expense of their autonomous region.
The party infighting began when PUK co-founder, Nosherwan Mustafa, made plans to establish an independent list of candidates to run in regional parliamentary elections in May, said a senior party official Tuesday.
The decision angered Talabani, who was going to expel Mustafa from the party Sunday before he could announce his formal departure, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.
Talabani's plan, however, upset the PUK's deputy secretary, Khosrat Rasoul, who submitted his resignation Saturday along with four other senior members of the party's political bureau.
The mood was tense in the PUK-dominated city of Sulaimaniyah on Saturday when Rasoul and the others announced their resignations. PUK security forces and bodyguards for the disgruntled officials patrolled the streets near their offices with weapons in hand.
The officials who resigned were also upset with corruption within the PUK, the distribution of party positions and the existence of independent security bodies run by different members, said the official.
Party officials, including the president, met in Baghdad to resolve the crisis, and Talabani agreed to form a committee headed by Rasoul and Iraq's deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh to resolve the disputed issues, said the official.
IHT
President Jalal Talabani's Patriotic Union of Kurdistan is one of two main parties dominating the government in Iraq's Kurdish autonomous region and a dispute inside it could damage Kurdish unity during a particularly delicate time.
The Kurds feel threatened by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's recent efforts to extend the power of the Arab-dominated central government which they fear will come at the expense of their autonomous region.
The party infighting began when PUK co-founder, Nosherwan Mustafa, made plans to establish an independent list of candidates to run in regional parliamentary elections in May, said a senior party official Tuesday.
The decision angered Talabani, who was going to expel Mustafa from the party Sunday before he could announce his formal departure, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.
Talabani's plan, however, upset the PUK's deputy secretary, Khosrat Rasoul, who submitted his resignation Saturday along with four other senior members of the party's political bureau.
The mood was tense in the PUK-dominated city of Sulaimaniyah on Saturday when Rasoul and the others announced their resignations. PUK security forces and bodyguards for the disgruntled officials patrolled the streets near their offices with weapons in hand.
The officials who resigned were also upset with corruption within the PUK, the distribution of party positions and the existence of independent security bodies run by different members, said the official.
Party officials, including the president, met in Baghdad to resolve the crisis, and Talabani agreed to form a committee headed by Rasoul and Iraq's deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh to resolve the disputed issues, said the official.
IHT
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