Iraq's president, PM discuss US-led coalition, ties with Kurdistan

Shafaq News/ Iraq's president and prime minister met on Wednesday for talks on the exit of the US-led coalition from Iraq and ties with the Kurdistan region, official statement said.

The meeting between President Abdul Latif Rashid and Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani came amid growing calls for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Iraq following the death of a paramilitary commander in a U.S. strike in Baghdad earlier this month.

In the statement, the president's office said be discussed with Prime Minister al-Sudani the "results of the meetings held with the international coalition on the withdrawal of its forces from Iraq."

The two statesmen expressed support to "the government's steps to end the presence of the coalition and move towards bilateral relationships with the member states of the coalition."

Barzani and Rashid touched on the relations between the Federal Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and called for further talks reach "radical solutions on joint executive and procedural issues, based on the constitution, law, and the supreme interest of the country."

The KRG has been seeking greater autonomy from the Iraqi government for years. The two sides have been at odds over a number of issues, including oil exports and the disputed city of Kirkuk.

In January, al-Sudani visited Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan region, and met with KRG officials. The two sides agreed to continue talks on a spectrum of issues, including the salaries of the region's public servants and disputed territories.