Ketuly expresses readiness to serve as a compromise candidate for the republic's presidency 

Shafaq News/ The Independent presidential candidate, Professor Kamal Aziz Ketuly, on Monday said he is willing to serve as a compromise candidate for the presidency of the republic in case they fail to reach consensus.

In a statement he issued earlier today, Ketuly called on the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) shall agree upon a single candidate for the presidency of the republic.

Ketuly said that his "call comes as an independent candidate for the presidency of the republic, given the challenging conditions Iraq has passing through and the deadlock between the political forces and the regional and federal governments."

"I will announce my withdrawal in case both parties reach an agreement on a consensus candidate and I will be the first to congratulate him and wish him good luck. In case they failed, and each party remained adamant about his candidate, the 2018 scenario, and its reverberations on the ties between the two parties, will be replicated."

"If the two leading Kurdish parties do not agree on a consensus candidate, they can find a compromise Kurdish candidate, who is known for a history of struggle, good record, and the capacity to lead Iraq, make decisions, and protect the constitution."

"I announce, with honor, my readiness to serve as a compromise candidate. My only goal is to be an active catalyst for the unity of the Kurdish parties. I will form a committee from both the regional and central governments that works to address the long-standing and ongoing disputes between the center and the region to preserve Iraq's unity and prosperity."

Ketuly is a Fayli Kurdish Professor at the Duhok university, faculty of medicine.

He was born in Baghdad, and got his Chemistry degree in 1976, then his Ph.D. in Biomedical Chemistry from Glasgow University in the UK, in 1982.