PM Barzani, Iraqi parliament speaker discuss obstacles to forming government

The incumbent prime minister of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region Nechirvan Barzani discussed on Friday present difficulties in forming the federal government and also the state of Erbil-Baghdad relations with Iraqi Parliamentary Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi.

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The incumbent prime minister of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region Nechirvan Barzani discussed on Friday present difficulties in forming the federal government and also the state of Erbil-Baghdad relations with Iraqi Parliamentary Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi.

According to Barzani’s press office, the two spoke in Erbil about “the current political and security situation in Iraq, the efforts to complete the new Iraqi government, the remaining ministerial posts, and obstacles to the progress of the process.”

The two officials stressed the importance of Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi reaching a deal between various parties in Baghdad that would lead to a consensus on a new cabinet.

Abdul-Mahdi became prime minister on Oct. 25. Although he has named most ministers, eight of the posts remain vacant as major blocs in parliament have failed to sign off on certain candidates, especially the coveted security ministries of interior and defense.

In another part of the meeting, they discussed the disputes between Erbil and Baghdad and efforts to resolve them within the existing constitutional framework.

The issue of displaced Iraqis now living in the Kurdistan Region was also a prominent topic, with the two officials going over humanitarian assistance by the Iraqi federal government, assistance needed for a successful and safe return to their areas of origin, and reconstruction of areas liberated from the Islamic State (IS). 

Earlier on Friday, Halbousi visited the town of Shekhan in the Kurdistan Region’s Duhok Province, where he announced that he intended to compensate the nation's Yezidi (Ezidi) religious minority, which suffered mass atrocities under IS, and also that parliament would assist members of the decimated community in returning home.

Barzani and Halbousi also talked about the general situation in the region, cooperation and coordination between Erbil and Baghdad, and other subjects related to the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.

Disputes between the region and the federal government reached their peak late last year after the Kurdistan Region held an independence referendum. Baghdad gave a quick and harsh response, using its military and Iran-backed Shia militias to push Kurdish forces from disputed territories and isolating the semi-autonomous region from the international community by declaring its airports closed.

Relations between the two sides have been recently improving, most notably during negotiations to form Iraq's new government, a process in which parliament's sizeable Kurdish bloc plays a key role.  

Editing by John J. Catherine