BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki discussed on Friday with Speaker of the parliament Osama al-Nujaifi the current obstacles facing negotiations between Baghdad and Arbil.

The meeting came as part of the current efforts made by al-Nujaifi to put an end to the current crisis in Iraq.

"Al-Nujaifi will continue he efforts to reach to an agreement and eliminate tensions that threaten Iraq's unity," a statement from al-Nujaifi's office said.

Tensions have been running high in areas of northern Iraq that the Kurdish region wants to incorporate over the strong objections of Baghdad.

Parliament speaker Osama al-Nujaifi has been pushing to resolve the crisis, which he has warned could lead to civil war.

He has been holding talks since Wednesday with political leaders in Baghdad and Kurdistan, and announced that a "technical and military meeting" on the crisis was to be held on Monday in Baghdad.

Barzani, nephew of the Kurdish region's president, said a high-level Kurdish delegation would travel to Baghdad on Tuesday with the aim of reaching an agreement, and expressed hope that Nuajifi's efforts would yield results.

The unresolved row over territory poses the biggest threat to Iraq's long-term stability, diplomats and officials say.

Ties between the two sides are also marred by disputes over oil and power-sharing.

 

 

SH (TS)/SR