Talabani in Kurdistan on ethnic talks

SULAIMANIYA, Iraq, Dec. 12 (UPI) -- Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, visited a resort town in northern Iraqi Kurdistan to discuss the Kurdish-Arab row dividing the country, officials said.

Talabani, along with his deputies, Tariq al-Hashimi, a Sunni, and Adel Abdul Mehdi, a Shiite, visited the Kurdish region to discuss political relations and broader ties with Baghdad, the al-Sumaria Iraqi satellite news channel said Friday.

Tensions are high in the ethnically diverse city, with Iraqi Arabs, Turkomen and Kurds vying for power.

Kurds are pushing for more autonomy in the wake of an "Arabization" campaign, a move by Saddam Hussein to influence the demographics in the oil-rich city. Arabs and Turkomen, meanwhile, are lobbying for the city of Kirkuk to remain under control of the Iraqi central government.

The presidential meeting comes on the heels of a suicide bombing at a popular restaurant Thursday that killed at least 50 during celebrations marking the religious holiday of Eid al-Adha.

Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh, meanwhile, briefed officials in Washington on developments surrounding the security framework with the United States.

Baghdad passed a measure in November calling for a U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq no later than Dec. 31, 2011, though the spokesman said his country may need American support to rebuild Iraq's military for another 10 years.