"This is a problem that has been inherited from the era of the dictatorship" of Saddam Hussein, said Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, as he addressed a gathering at the United States Institute of Peace, a Washington think tank.

The Iraqi leader called the standoff "one of the most dangerous issues that have been a concern for all the Iraqi government."

He made his remarks one day after his get-together with President Barack Obama, their first White House meeting.

Kurds go to the polls on Saturday to elect a president and a parliament amid a simmering land dispute with Baghdad and rising tensions over oil exports that could lead to armed conflict.

Incumbent president Massud Barzani is widely expected to be returned to office while his Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani's Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) are likely to sweep the legislative poll, in which more than 2.5 million Kurds are eligible to vote.

Maliki said in Washington the ongoing tension "needs to be resolved."

"I am confident that we will be able to resolve all these issues not only with the Kurdistan region but also with other provinces," he said.

Iraqi Kurdistan, which covers the provinces of Arbil, Dohuk and Sulaimaniyah, has its own flag, national anthem and national day.

During his four-day visit in the United States, Maliki is to meet with various business and trade leaders, senior lawmakers and top Obama administration officials.