Iraqi-Kurdish talks make progress despite pending points

The Iraqi and Kurdish army commanders made progress Saturday in talks, aiming at ceasefire between the federal and Kurdish Peshmerga forces, but the two sides fell short to agree on some pending points.


Earlier in the day, a joint team from commanders of Iraqi federal forces and Kurdish Peshmerga held a meeting in Mosul to stop clashes between the Iraqi forces and Kurdish Peshmerga, as the Iraqi troops are pushing to seize the disputed areas and some border crossing points.

The two sides agreed on several points, but the Kurdish side failed to give clear answers until they return to their leaders in the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG).

"We have reached an agreement on some points, but there are sticking points that still need to be resolved," the Iraqi army's Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Othman al-Ghanmi, told reporters after the meeting.

"There was some progress but definitive solution is in the hands of the other (Kurdish) side. They must return to Kurdistan for consultation and give us their answer," Ghanmi said.

Ghanmi said a "positive atmosphere" prevail in the meeting between the commanders of the federal and Peshmerga forces, adding "there is a need for withdrawal of the Peshmerga to the regional border before 2003."

For his part, Maj. Gen. Najm al-Jubouri commander of Nineveh's Operations Command, who was part of the federal team, told the reporters "the meeting included the return of Kurdish forces to the border line of 2003 and the handover of the border crossing points to the federal authorities."

The Kurdish top military official did not give talk to the media after the meeting which took place in Nineveh's Operations Command inside the former presidential palaces in eastern Mosul.
 [globaltimes.cn/Xinhua]
 29/10/17
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