Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi on Monday met with Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) counterpart Nechirvan Barzani, who arrived in Baghdad on an unannounced visit. The two officials discussed “general political situations in the country” according to a statement released by Abadi’s office. The prime ministers discussed the political situation in the country in general and some other common issues between the Federal Government of Iraq and the KRG, the statement added. “The meeting reiterated the importance of continued communication and exchange of dialogue in a way that strengthens joint national work,” it indicated. Barzani and Abadi also emphasized maintaining cooperation between Iraqi security forces and the Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga to eliminate any terror threats after efforts to achieve victory against ISIS extremists. They also addressed ways to move forward with the formation of the next government that meets the demands of the Iraqi people through support for the economy, construction, provision of services, and employment opportunities. "While we have to admit that our problems in Iraq are political in the first place, the nature of the relationship between the federal government in Baghdad and the KRG in Erbil seems administrative," said Shwan Mohammed Taha, Head of KDP’s fifth branch in Baghdad. Taha noted that range of issues and matters should be discussed according to the law such as the budget, salaries, Peshmerga, disputed areas and coordination in a lot of issues. On the expected results of the visit, Taha said that the statement issued by the federal government show that progress had been made on many of the joint files, adding that he believes any issues and administrative constraints that haven’t been solved will reflect negatively on the general political situation and thus will affect the current movement to form the largest parliamentary alliance. When asked about the meetings held by the Kurds with different Shiite forces Taha said that all the talk on alliances or agreements is premature. “Everyone we met discussed general principles, something which we have always heard, while we now want practical solutions for the differences between Baghdad and Erbil that would pave the way for political understanding,” he concluded. Meanwhile, Spokesman for the Prime Minister Office, Saad al-Hadithi told Asharq Al-Awsat that the meeting between Abadi and Barzani came on the bases of their positions as a federal prime minister and prime minister of the region and they discussed the nature of the relationship between the two governments and the importance of overcoming issues in various fields. Prior to the recent elections, noted the spokesman, both governments were serious in resolving several issues and various committees have been formed for that purpose. He explained, however, that theelections and the preoccupation of political blocs with a lot of issues may have hampered previous efforts to solve them, noting that the PM’s visit will put things back on the right track. “The talks discussed current events in the country and the importance of joining efforts of all political forces to accelerate the formation of the new government...as a guarantor for Iraq’s stability and unity,” Hadithi stated. On the other hand, dozens of the Chaldean-Assyrian Syriac community demonstrated in front of the Kurdish Parliament in Erbil to protest what they called "power acquisition of ruling Kurdish parties” of all the seats allocated to the Christian component in the Parliament of Kurdistan Region. The demonstrators called for an amendment to the current electoral quota law, under which five seats are allocated to the Chaldean-Assyrian people in the regional parliament. President of Abnaa al-Nahrain Party, Kalita Shaba says the Kurdish parties acquisition of Christian seats, supported by Christian candidates, strips the quota law from its true content. She explained to Asharq Al-Awsat that in the draft law submitted to the Parliament, the party wants to amend a paragraph in the electoral quota law allocated to the Christian component, and insure that voting for Christian candidates is exclusively limited to Chaldean-Assyrian voters, similar to the 1992 elections that took place in the region for the first time.