Following clashes on Saturday between police and protesters in Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region which left 14 people injured, the regional government is organizing a meeting between government leaders and representatives of opposition groups scheduled for Monday.

Kurdistan region Prime Minister Barham Salih said the Goran Party, as well as the Kurdistan Islamic Union and the Kurdistan Islamic Group were being invited.

The clash with police happened when dozens of protesters attempted to attack the local KDP headquarters for a second time. Among the injured was a police officer.

The violence followed another demonstration by hundreds of students at Sulaimaniya University seeking the release of people arrested in previous protests and the prosecution of a local party official they said ordered security forces to open fire.

Witnesses said police used water cannons and fired weapons over the heads of rock-throwing demonstrators in Sulaimaniya, who had taken to the streets to protest the violent response of security forces that killed one demonstrator and injured 57 after they attacked the local offices of ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party.

The Kurdistan regional president, Massoud Barzani, heads the party and became a target of protesters' anger on Saturday.

"We demand an apology from Massoud Barzani to the people of Sulaimaniya for his guards' shootings," one banner carried by protesters read.

In a statement issued Saturday on the Kurdistan Regional Government website, provincial officials said an investigation into Thursday's shooting is under way.

The protests Saturday are the latest in a string of recent demonstrations across Iraq, apparently inspired by popular uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia and focusing on complaints of rampant unemployment and poor government services.

In Baghdad Saturday, hundreds of people rallied to demand that the government give orphans and widows monthly stipends.