Iraqi PM & Kurd President Agree to Solve Problems

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and Kurdish regional president Masoud Barzani held a rare meeting on Sunday but agreed only to further talks to solve a row over land and oil seen as the greatest threat to Iraqi security.

Photo: Iraqi PM & Kurd President Agree to Solve Problems

The encounter was believed to be the first between them for many months, during which time Barzani has accused Maliki of acting like a tyrant and sidelining Iraq's Kurdish minority, Reuters India reports.

The leaders agreed to establish a committee to solve the outstanding issues.

"The challenges that face the political process require more meetings and cooperation between all Iraqi people," al-Maliki said Sunday at a press conference with Barzani and Talabani. "I am very optimistic after this meeting," The Associated Press reports.

"Our meeting was positive and we have agreed to support the national unity and the federal system. We also agreed on the necessity of finding a mechanism to continue discussions to solve the pending problems between the region and Baghdad," Maliki added, Xinhua reports.

Meanwhile, Barzani said a Kurdish delegation would visit Baghdad "to solve all the problems." Sunday's talks were held in a resort town just outside Sulaymaniyah, the Kurdish region's second-largest city, The Washington Post reports.