KDP, PUK have mutual strategic coalition – source

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: The Political bureaus of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) held a meeting to stress mutual strategic coalition, a PUK source said on Monday. “During yesterday’s meeting, the two sides agreed to make efforts to help form the new Iraqi government,” Fareed Assessrid told IraqiNews.com news agency. He stressed that both parties have one nominee to hold the position of Iraq’s President, Jalal Talabani. Earlier, a leading figure of the Kurdistan Alliance political bloc that embraces both the KDP and PUK said that no pressures have been put on the Kurdistan Alliance to join coalition with the Al-Iraqiya Alliance. “The Kurdistan Alliance has its own will,” Khalid Shawani told IraqiNews.com news agency. He noted that the Kurdistan Alliance represents the ideas and visions of its constituents without any pressures. MH (P)/SR 2