SULAIMANI, Kurdistan region ‘Iraq’,— The PUK and Gorran made their bilateral agreement final on Tuesday in a signing ceremony at Jalal Talabani’s residence in Dabashan, Sulaimani.

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and its breakaway Change Movement (Gorran) signed an important agreement Tuesday, ending seven years of separation, political stalemate and rivalry.

The official signing in the city of Sulaimani came after both the PUK and Gorran leaderships separately approved the agreement Saturday to develop relations.

Although the details of the agreement have not been fully disclosed, the drafting of the deal was done by a high-level mutual committee from both parties.

The agreement was signed by the PUK’s Kosrat Rasul Ali and Gorran’s Nawshirwan Mustafa, with other senior leaders present.

Jalal Talabani, the former Iraqi president who still officially leads the PUK but largely disappeared from the country’s political scene since suffering a stroke in December 2012, sat between the two party leaders.

The Massoud Barzani-led Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) has not welcomed the agreement and believes it is an attempt against the KDP and the beginning of partitioning Sulaimani from Erbil.

Nawshirwan Mustafa, a former deputy in the Kurdish government, formed the Change Movement in 2009 as a rival to the ruling PUK and the KDP. His party scored a success in Kurdish elections in 2009, taking several seats from the incumbent parties.

Mustafa left PUK in December 2006, owns a powerful media company, Wisha, the company, which includes a television station, newspaper and website

Gorran, PUK amend several articles of their agreement

Officials from the Change Movement (Gorran) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) amended several articles of their agreement on Tuesday before the signing at PUK Secretary-General Jalal Talabani’s house in Dabashan.

Articles 5, 15 and 21 of the 25 total articles were amended after a consensus among senior members of both parties.

Article 5 said the extended deactivation of the Kurdistan Parliament tarnished the political process and rule of law in the Kurdistan Region.

The article was amended to say, “Both sides agree on the political and legal obstacles in front of legislative institutions and reactivation of Parliament based on the rule of law, with no preconditions.”

The first section of Article 15’s three total parts was also amended to say, “Both sides agree to create a coalition for their factions in the Kurdistan Parliament, Iraqi Council of Representatives and Provincial Councils and this coalition will be open for others to join according to special protocol.”

The previous version of that section said the first point of the agreement to be implemented would be the creation of a coalition for the Gorran and PUK factions in the Kurdistan Parliament, Iraqi Council of Representatives and Provincial Councils.

Article 21 was also amended to: “The parties of this agreement have the right of agreement or treaty with other political parties that do not oppose the new agreement or the articles and sections of the agreement.”

The previous wording of Article 21 said the parties to the agreement had no right of agreement or treaty with other political parties.

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