SALAHEDDIN, Dec 1: Iraq's two rival Kurdish factions kept their differences behind them and announced on Wednesday a joint ticket for the January elections, aiming to gain maximum parliamentary weight to enshrine their autonomy in the country's future constitution.

"The Kurdish political powers have reached an agreement to present a joint list for the general elections as well as for the Kurdish parliament," said Massud Barzani, who heads the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).

He was speaking from his Salaheddin stronghold in northern Iraq after meeting with Jalal Talabani, whose Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) is the Kurdish community's other major party.

"We call on the people of Kurdistan to participate in the elections as we need every single vote to obtain as many seats as possible in the Iraqi national assembly," said Talabani at a joint press conference.

"The current situation obliges us to put the future of Kurdistan before our own individual interests and join the same list to guarantee the rights of the Kurdish people in Iraq," Barzani added.

On January 30, Iraqis are due to choose the 275 members of the national assembly. The Kurds will also pick the 111 members of their autonomous parliament. Talabani urged "the people of Kurdistan to take part in the ballot, because we need every vote we can get in order to obtain the largest possible number of seats in parliament."

The January 30 elections - Iraq's first free and multi-party elections in half a century - will be a single, proportional ballot. The resulting interim national assembly will be tasked with drafting a permanent constitution.

When asked why the two Kurdish political heavyweights had not joined forces with some Arab parties, Talabani hinted that none of them were ready to boost Kurdish aspirations towards more autonomy.

"We were not able to find an agreement on the place of the Kurds. There are a few Assyrians and some Turkmen on our list but not the Turkmen Front," he explained. -AFP