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Barzani Plans to Host Summit As Iraqi Political Crisis Worsens

Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani plans to host a summit of Iraq's political leaders as the country's political crisis worsens, writes Bushra Al Mudhafar.
Iraqi Kurdish regional President Masoud Barzani (R) welcomes Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr at Arbil's airport, about 350 km (220 miles) north of Baghdad April 26, 2012.  REUTERS/Azad Lashkari (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3194S

It seems that a prospective national meeting of political parties in Erbil, the capital of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, is imminent. But questions remain as to whether such a meeting can solve Iraq's increasingly complicated problems.

There are reports of US pressure and Iranian and Arab support for a second meeting among Iraqi factions under the auspices of Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani. Erbil hosted a similar meeting in 2010 with some success: it resulted in what is known as the "Erbil Agreement" that led to the formation of a national unity government, headed by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

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