The news on May 2 that the Iraqi cabinet will hold a session in Erbil opens the door to a number of possibilities, including the return of friendliness to the tense relationship between Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and Massoud Barzani, president of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Such a meeting also indicates that Baghdad continues to probe the intentions of the Iraqi Kurds, especially given that its request that the cabinet meet in Erbil was vehemently opposed by some Kurdish members of the parliament in Baghdad.

Kurdish Minister of Trade Khairallah Babakir announced the meeting in a press release on May 2, “Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki agreed on holding a cabinet session in Erbil as part of a series of meetings to be held with Kurdish powers and President of Kurdistan Massoud Barzani to activate the agreement between both parties.”

The government in Baghdad is yet to make an official announcement about the meeting, but Maliki's Islamic Dawa Party has confirmed to Al-Monitor that a session is, indeed, supposed to take place in Erbil. Khaled al-Assadi, a leading member of the party, declared to Al-Monitor, “The aim of holding a cabinet session in Erbil is clear. [It is about] sending a message to everyone that Kurdistan is a part of Iraq and that the cabinet is a federal council for all Iraq.” When asked about the date of the meeting, Assadi responded, “It is not yet set.”

Negotiators from both sides confirmed to Al-Monitor that the latest agreement drafted by Maliki and a high-ranking Kurdish delegation in Baghdad involved cooperation in seven areas: amending the current general budget law; settling the issue of the law on oil and gas and the Tigris and Jazeera Operations Commands; redrawing disputed administrative frontiers; compensating people affected by the chemical attacks on the Kurdish areas under former president Saddam Hussein; and appointing representatives of both parties for cooperation and information exchanges.