Kurdish political leader and the President of Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) Masoud Barzani said on Thursday that his party supported the establishment of a high strategic council representing all Iraqis, including Kurdish parties. During a popular gathering held in Erbil ahead of regional elections planned for the end of this month, the leader said the council could preserve the rights of all Iraqi factions, and prevent unilateral policy-making. Barzani, who previously served as the president to the Kurdistan Region, pointed out that the majority of Iraqi factions support the initiative. He reiterated that the Kurds are committed to making sacrifices to reach their ultimate goal, which is independence. In the Kurdistan Region’s parliamentary elections scheduled for September 30, 702 candidates are competing to fill 111 seats. There are 28 groups in total running for office. Barzani said that the new Iraqi government should be formed based on three main factors. He said the cabinet should respect the concept of true partnership in decision-making guaranteed by the establishment of a High Council for Strategic Policies. It should also respect the principle of consensus in drafting laws and achieve balance at the level of all public institutions. Speaking about his party’s main objectives, the Kurdish leader said the KDP would not amend its policies to be in tandem with regional developments. Barzani later accused authorities in Baghdad of seeking to transfer their problems with the Kurdistan Region to the community and create conflict among cultural groups. “However, results of the last parliamentary elections revealed that Iraqis do not support conflicts and instead they used their votes to punish all the figures responsible for hurting the Kurdistan people,” he said. Barzani expressed his party’s conviction that Kurdistan’s relationship with the Iraqi state should be at its best.