Barzani warns Baghdad: no reason to stay in government if deal collapses
Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani has signaled his party could quit the Iraqi government if a deal reached with the Shiite Coordination Framework is not implemented. He warned that a Coalition withdrawal could set the stage for a repeat of 2014, with ISIS returning.
RastinewsKDP leader Masoud Barzani said in an interview with Al Sharqiya television that his party would have no reason to remain in the Iraqi government if the agreement it reached with the Shiite Coordination Framework is not carried out. He also said a conspiracy had been mounted against the KDP in Baghdad.
Barzani said the decision to join the government rested on an agreement signed by KDP Deputy leader Nechirvan Barzani and Hadi al-Amiri of the Coordination Framework. He said the text would be made public soon and contained no provision that violated the constitution.
"If the agreement isn't implemented, there's no point staying in that government — we won't be false witnesses," Barzani said, adding that the issue was not about posts or ministries but about rights, partnership and dignity.
"They wanted to exclude the KDP"
Barzani said his party was unhappy with the parliamentary session in which Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi's cabinet won a vote of confidence. He said some factions within the Coordination Framework and among Sunni parties had tried to exclude the KDP during government formation, though a new chapter had since been opened with them.
Barzani said governance had effectively been concentrated in the hands of a single bloc, and that the Shiite Coordination Framework bore the main responsibility for this. "If the Sadrist Movement, the Kurdistan Democratic Party and other parties are absent from government, the government becomes paralyzed," he said.
"The Americans left, and ISIS came"
Asked about the Coalition withdrawal, Barzani recalled that before U.S. troops pulled out in 2011, Iraq's defense and interior ministers had admitted they lacked the capacity to protect the country. "The Americans left then, and ISIS came. Now I fear the same scenario," he said.
Barzani noted that after the ISIS offensive in 2014, the Iraqi government had been forced to seek help from the United States, European countries and NATO.
"The weapons issue must not turn into war"
On bringing weapons under state control, Barzani said he hoped the process would not turn into war. He said this would become difficult after September 30, since some groups benefiting from the current situation would not give up their weapons.
Barzani said weapons could only be used on the order of the General Command, pointing to U.S. pressure on the matter. He warned that if the weapons issue is not resolved, Iraq could face sanctions and international isolation.
Coalition withdrawing September 30
According to Rudaw, Barzani's remarks came days before the withdrawal of International Coalition forces from Iraq.
Iraq and the United States agreed in September 2024 to end the military mission of the anti-ISIS Coalition in two phases. Under the agreement, the Coalition's presence in Erbil was extended until September 2026.
The federal government in Baghdad is preparing to mark September 30, when the withdrawal is due to be completed, as "Sovereignty Day." Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani has said it would be concerning to leave the region without any defense system.