KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani has sought to distance himself from the steadfast refusal of his uncle, former President Massoud Barzani, to nullify the will of the Kurdish people.
The governments of Iraq and its autonomous Kurdish region may be one step closer to settling their heated feud. On Nov. 14, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) issued a formal response to a Nov. 5 decision by the Federal Supreme Court that the Iraqi Constitution does not permit any region to secede. Officials in Arbil said they "respect the interpretation" of the court and called for the ruling to serve as a starting point for negotiations to resolve the region's outstanding constitutional disputes with the central government in Baghdad. But although the concession could pave the way for peace talks, it is unclear just how willing Iraqi leaders are to lift the pressure they have put on the Kurdish administration since its controversial independence referendum in late September. So far Arbil has refused to annul the results of the vote, as Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has demanded.
