KRG ready to work with Iraq; borrowing bill ‘dangerous development’: Nechirvan Barzani

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Sunday called the passage of the Fiscal Deficit Law by the Iraqi parliament, without the approval of Kurdish lawmakers, efforts to “punish” citizens of the autonomous region.

The fiscal deficit law that the government has been waiting for is to secure employees’ delayed salaries for several weeks amid one of the country’s most severe financial crises in years due to the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting steep decline in oil prices. Petroleum sales provide for the vast majority of the Middle Eastern nation’s annual budget.

Related Article: KRG objects to spending bill Iraq passed in absence of Kurdish lawmakers

On Thursday morning, Iraqi lawmakers passed the law with a majority of its members in the absence of representatives from the Kurdistan Region, who boycotted the session over disagreements about a clause that Kurdish lawmakers described as “unfair” for the autonomous region’s share of the federal budget.

“This decision is a source of serious concern for the Kurdistan Region,” said President Barzani during a press conference after a meeting among top Kurdistan Region officials. He added that the passage of the bill is meant to “punish” the people of the Kurdistan Region and its public sector employees.

“We view this as a dangerous development,” he affirmed. Barzani asked Iraqi politicians, rhetorically, “is the Kurdistan Region part of Iraq or not? Are the region’s employees a part of Iraq’s employees?”

Barzani added that unresolved outstanding issues between Erbil and Baghdad “will hamper stability in Iraq.”

“Our message to Iraqi political forces is that the Kurdistan Region is ready to agree with Baghdad on oil and all other issues.”

A previous deal between Baghdad and Erbil stipulated that the federal government would send the regional government 320 billion Iraqi dinars for three months. “Although the amount is small, we agreed to it,” Barzani said.

Barzani extended well regards to Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, who “did not send the bill to the Iraqi Parliament” as it was passed. Lawmakers who voted in favor of the bill amended it.

The president asserted that approving the bill “is in direct opposition to all the principles on which we built Iraq after 2003.”

“Iraq’s problems are not dealt with in this way, even if some parties in the Iraqi parliament have the power to pass such laws.”

“We don’t have federalism” in Iraq since “Baghdad acts on a principle of centralized governance,” Barzani claimed.

“We are ready to agree on all oil imports and all the other files, and we will present all these facts to Parliament.”

“What is present in Iraq is not a federal government, but rather a totalitarian central government that wants everything to be in its hands.”

The president then thanked the region’s citizens for their patience and said, “our priorities are to address these problems, and I am sure that they can be addressed through dialogue.”

He noted that a Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) delegation would visit Baghdad soon for bilateral talks.

Editing by Khrush Najari