Shafaq News/ The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) is slated to convene a key meeting of its leading council later this week to ponder a spectrum of issues relevant to the party's policy in Iraq and the Kurdistan region.

A source told Shafaq News Agency that the meeting will be headed by the party's leader, Bafel Jalal Talabani, on Saturday at 1100 am (Iraq time) in al-Sulaymaniyah, the PUK's stronghold.

The meeting, according to the sources, is expected to touch upon the outcomes of the meetings with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), the internal affairs of the party, and the updates on the government process in Baghdad.

Another source said that the council is expected to make a definitive decision on the dispute with the rival KDP over the presidency of the republic during the meeting.