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WORLD NEWS Monday 9 october 2017

Speaker’s visit to Kurds divides Iraqi parliament

visions within the capital “The Shiite groups consider
over how to respond to the that Barzani has crossed a
Kurdish vote. red line to threaten Iraq’s
Few if any of Iraq’s national unity and by extension
politicians want to see an Iran’s influence over the re-
independent Kurdistan, but gion,” said Meraie.
there is little consensus be- The war on the Islamic
yond that. State group has drawn the
Shiite politicians, especially country’s Shiite-dominated
those close to Iran, have Popular Mobilization Front
urged a hard line against militias, a main vessel of
the Kurdish region. They Iranian influence, deep
see an opportunity to clip into Sunni-majority northern
Barzani’s wings, which they Iraq, raising tensions with
see as the biggest obsta- Kurdish Peshmerga militias
cle to expanded Iranian also invested in the fight.
influence in north Iraq, said Sunnis, including Parlia-
Hadi Meraie, a political an- ment Speaker Jabouri, and
alyst and head of the Iraq some Shiite politicians pre-
Observatory for Press Free- fer to see Iran’s influence
doms. contained. q

In this Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017 photo, the President of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region,
Massoud Barzani, speaks to reporters during a press conference in Irbil, Iraq. The office
of Iraq’s parliament speaker says Salim Jabouri traveled to the country’s Kurdish region
to meet with Barzani, Sundaay, Oct. 8, 2017.
(AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

PHILIP ISSA dum for independence. by Baghdad politicians to
Associated Press Iraqi member of Parliament Irbil, the seat of the Kurd-
BAGHDAD (AP) — A lead- Humam Hamoudi called ish regional government,
ing Iraqi parliamentarian Parliament Speaker Salim have failed to resolve the
upbraided the legislative Jabouri’s meeting with Bar- impasse between Bagh-
body’s leader for meeting zani “disappointing” and dad and its Kurdish region,
with Kurdish leader Masoud “unfortunate” and said Ja- which voted for indepen-
Barzani on Sunday as Bagh- bouri went to Barzani in a dence in a non-binding ref-
dad’s politicians voiced personal capacity, not as erendum two weeks ago.
their differences over how Parliament’s representa- Jabouri’s visit, intended to
best to respond to a con- tive. break the deadlock, in-
troversial Kurdish referen- Two days of high level visits stead underscored the di-
Thousands of women march for Mideast peace

NORTHERN DEAD SEA, West march sends a message to reconciliation.” Women
Bank (AP) — Thousands leaders to work toward a and children crafted signs
of Israeli and Palestinian negotiated solution to the reading “peace be upon
women are wrapping up a Israeli-Palestinian conflict you” in Arabic and He-
march around the region, and to make sure women brew. Participants beat
demanding that their lead- have equal representation drums and rattled tambou-
ers act to achieve a peace in any talks.Sunday’s event rines.The Trump administra-
agreement. brought 8,000 people to tion is trying to jumpstart a
Women Wage Peace, the an area north of the Dead new round of peace talks
group behind the demon- Sea in the West Bank where between the sides, which
stration, says the two-week they mingled in a “tent of collapsed in 2014.q