US-led Coalition Forces Needed in Iraq: Barzani and Ayad Allawi

President of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), Masoud Barzani, stated in a joint statement with Iraqi politician and a former premier, Ayad Allawi, that the US-led Coalition forces are needed in the country.

The two leaders held a meeting in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region, on Saturday, where they discussed a range of topics pertaining to the current situation in Iraq and the region, Barzani's office said in a statement.

In their joint statement, released after the meeting, Barzani and Allawi agreed that Iraq needs the presence of the coalition forces to help the country in the fight against the Islamic State (IS), especially while the insurgent group's movements have lately increased.

The pair also exchanged views on the efforts to form an interim government in Baghdad, and argued that no sides can make unilateral decisions on the future of Iraq or it could be a threat to the different components of the country.

The future government must have representatives from all components across the country, they concluded.

The joint statement came while the Iraqi Council of Representatives earlier last month passed a resolution to force the foreign troops from the country, while anti-government protests have been ongoing since early October, amid which caretaker PM Adil Abdul Mahdi resigned in November.