Speaking at a congress of his Kurdistan Democratic Party, Barzani said "the issue of self-determination," which was considered "a right," would be presented to those attending the conference "to be studied and discussed."

The remarks mark the first time Barzani has officially presented the issue to the KDP's congress, which opened on Saturday.

His comments were made to an audience that included Iraq's Prime Minister-designate Nuri al-Maliki, parliament speaker Osama al-Nujaifi and Iyad Allawi, whose Iraqiya bloc won the most seats in March elections.

Maliki, who was awarded the premiership on November 25, has two more weeks in which he must form a cabinet.

Barzani's KDP is a key member of Maliki's governing coalition, and the Kurdish leader played a major role in bringing Iraq's divided political factions together to agree a power-sharing deal.

Iraq's Kurdish north, made up of three provinces, has its own parliament and exerts control over all areas of policy except for national defence and foreign affairs.

It is currently in dispute with Iraq's central government in Baghdad over two main issues: a land dispute centred around the oil-rich city of Kirkuk; and the distribution of revenues from the region's energy reserves.

Arbil claims Kirkuk and parts of three neighbouring provinces, and has attempted signing its own deals with international energy firms without consulting Baghdad, both of which central government authorities contest.

The region first attained a modicum of autonomy in 1974, but Barzani's father and then-leader of the KDP, Mulla Mustafa Barzani, returned to war with the Baghdad government rather than accept that limited autonomy.

Kurdistan won greater freedom after the 1991 Gulf War, but Barzani and the region's other dominant political leader Jalal Talabani, now Iraq's president, waged war for control of smuggling routes that provided valuable tariff revenue while dictator Saddam Hussein was still in power.

A power-sharing deal was eventually struck between their two blocs and today, Barzani is seen as the dominant part of the pair.