"I want to emphasise one point, which is that Iraq's problems will not be addressed by force," Nechirvan Barzani told a news conference in Arbil, capital of the autonomous region in northern Iraq.

"Iraq's experiences prove that the country's problems will only be addressed by dialogue," he said.

Tensions have been running high in areas of northern Iraq that the Kurdish region wants to incorporate over the strong objections of Baghdad.

Parliament speaker Osama al-Nujaifi has been pushing to resolve the crisis, which he has warned could lead to civil war.

He has been holding talks since Wednesday with political leaders in Baghdad and Kurdistan, and announced that a "technical and military meeting" on the crisis was to be held on Monday in Baghdad.

Barzani, nephew of the Kurdish region's president, said a high-level Kurdish delegation would travel to Baghdad on Tuesday with the aim of reaching an agreement, and expressed hope that Nuajifi's efforts would yield results.

The unresolved row over territory poses the biggest threat to Iraq's long-term stability, diplomats and officials say. Ties between the two sides are also marred by disputes over oil and power-sharing.