KDP Vice President calls for calm in Suleimaniah and thanks people of Erbil

Erbil, Kurdistan – Iraq (KDP.info) - Nechirvan Barzani, Vice President of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, on Saturday thanked the people of Erbil and Dohuk for maintaining the calm of their cities and called for that peace to spread to Suleimaniah. Mr Barzani visited the two party branches in Erbil, branch numbers two and 16, and held a press conference in which he also thanked the people of Kirkuk for their fortitude in the face of attempts to cause disorder in the city. The Vice President’s visit to the Erbil branches comes a day after protests in parts of Iraq and Kurdistan in which some demonstrations went off peacefully while others became violent and led to deaths of civilians and police, as well as injuries. The protests in Kurdistan began in Suleimaniah about 10 days ago. In Erbil and Dohuk, there were no protests but rather calls for calm in a festive atmosphere. Demonstrations in Kirkuk held by Arab groups led to attacks on Kurdish people and authorities. “The people of Erbil know what it is to suffer instability and disorder and their message was very clear yesterday – we will not give an opportunity for this peace and stability to be disrupted,” said Mr Barzani. “Peaceful demonstration is the natural right of every citizen of Kurdistan and the government should accept the demands of the people. But we don’t want the calm of Kurdistan to be disrupted, and we don't want violence.” He added, “On behalf the KDP leadership, I thank the people of Erbil who want peace and calm here. We hope that the stability in Erbil will spread to other places in Kurdistan, especially Suleimaniah. I also thank the people of Dohuk, like those in Erbil, who called for peace and harmony in Kurdistan in a friendly atmosphere.” He also expressed his gratitude to the people and security forces in Kirkuk. In answer to a question at the press conference on the situation in Kirkuk, Mr Barzani said, “We and the leadership of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan have set up a special operations room to follow events in the disputed territories. We are watching the situation carefully. The security forces are ready and the Kurdistan Regional Government’s peshmerga minister has visited Kirkuk. We thought it necessary to be ready for any eventuality. The people of Kirkuk and KRG forces were steadfast in preventing the spread of unrest in Kirkuk.” The Vice President was also asked about the meeting between the PUK and the Gorran Change movement yesterday. The KDP has a strategic alliance with the PUK and is in a coalition government with the party, while Gorran is the main opposition. Mr Barzani said, “Any meeting that calms the situation in Suleimaniah is welcome. We were informed about the meeting. A statement was issued by the PUK affirming that they have confidence in the strategic alliance.” Mr Barzani also said the media play an important role at such times and called on them to provide the public with accurate information and not to incite unrest.