ERBIL, Iraq — Former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki visited the city of Sulaimaniyah on July 18 for a meeting with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Movement for Change (Gorran) in his capacity as the head of the State of Law Coalition and the secretary-general of the Dawa Party. The visit has raised much controversy as to whether it would further deepen internal political differences in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
Maliki visited the city to bless the recent alliance between the PUK and Gorran.