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I call on everyone to respect the political diversity and urge the people of Kurdistan to widely participate in the elections
Kurds set for July provincial elections; Taliban warn of renewed violence May 05, 2009
The Kurdistan region has much to gain from developing friendships with European nations in a wide variety of fields and economic sectors, and I look forward to a closer partnership with countries such as Italy
Merkel welcomes Kurdish President Barzani Mar 04, 2009
We in the Kurdistan region of Iraq want good neighborly relations based on mutual understanding, and I am happy to welcome this first visit of an Iranian foreign minister to the region
Iranian FM meets Kurdish leaders in Erbil Feb 13, 2009
If the pact is not signed, the situation in the country may deteriorate to the point of a civil war
Civil war without SOFA, Barzani says Nov 13, 2008
We would like to develop strategic cooperation on energy and trade
Erbil security tied to Ankara, leaders say Jun 04, 2010
Massoud Barzani (Kurdish: مسعود بارزانی; Arabic: مسعود بارزاني; born 16 August 1946) is the current President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region and the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party. Barzani was born in Mahabad, Iran, during the rule of the Republic of Mahabad. He has five sons (incl. Masrour) and three daughters.
Massoud Barzani succeeded his father, the former Kurdish nationalist leader Mustafa Barzani, as the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in 1979. Working closely with his brother Idriss Barzani until Idriss' death, Barzani and various other Kurdish groups fought Baghdad during the Iran-Iraq War. For much of this time, the Kurdish leadership was exiled to Iran.
With Saddam Hussein's defeat in the first Gulf War, Kurdish forces were able to retake much of the traditional homeland of the Kurds in Iraq. However, as Iraqi forces regrouped they pushed the Kurdish fighters back and hundreds of thousands of civilians fled to the mountains bordering Iran and Turkey, where thousands died under heavy fire from Iraqi gunships and many more succumbed to starvation and exposure. United States-led allies started Operation Provide Comfort to establish a safe zone within Iraq. This zone, protected by a no-fly zone, eventually developed into an autonomous Kurdish zone under the control of the two dominant Kurdish political parties, the KDP led by Massoud Barzani and the PUK led by Jalal Talabani. This zone incorporated most of the three governorates of Duhok, Hewler, and Silemani.