US - Kurd visit

US State Department spokesman James Rubin said that rival Kurdish leaders Masoud Barzani and Jalal Talibani will make separate trips to Washington in the next week. Rubin said the Kurdish Democratic Party's leader, Barzani, will be in the US from September 9-11, while Patriotic Union of Kurdistan leader Talibani will visit from September 14-16.

The visit is aimed at fostering cooperation between the two factions, discussing reconciliation, addressing humanitarian needs in the Kurdish areas of Northern Iraq, and speaking with the Kurds as Iraqi citizens, Rubin said. He also indicated that the US is willing to facilitate a face-to-face meeting between the two sides after the separate visits.