Barzani returns to Arbil from Baghdad

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: President of Iraq’s Kurdistan region, Massoud Barzani, will leave Baghdad on Friday afternoon heading for Arbil, a presidential source said. “The president will hold a press conference upon his arrival at the Arbil international airport on the power-sharing agreement reached yesterday and the formation of the new government,” the source told IraqiNews.com news agency. Iraq ended eight months of political deadlock late Thursday when Parliament elected a Speaker and a President for the country, under a complex political deal that and paves the way for the formation of a new government. Incumbent President Jalal al-Talabani, from a Kurdish party, would remain in his post for another term after winning 195 out of the 213 ballots cast in a second round of voting. SH (P) 1