KRG has 'other alternatives' if no agreement reached with Baghdad: Spokesman

“Just as the KRG fulfills its obligations, Baghdad should do the same.”
Jutiar Adil, the spokesman for the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), during an interview with Kurdistan 24, Jan. 31, 2021. (Photo: Kurdistan 24)
Jutiar Adil, the spokesman for the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), during an interview with Kurdistan 24, Jan. 31, 2021. (Photo: Kurdistan 24)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Spokesman, Jutiar Adil, affirmed on Sunday that the Kurdistan Region’s negotiating delegation in Baghdad is conducting discussions regarding the oil file and other financial matters in a transparent manner.

Adil made the comments during a televised interview with Kurdistan 24 on Sunday evening. The KRG spokesman said the Kurdish government is negotiating with Baghdad legally about all the data related to the region’s oil sector and its imports, and that it is likely the two sides will reach a decisive agreement this week. He also noted that the Kurdistan Region has “other options” if an agreement is not found.

KRG committed to constitutional agreement

Adil said the Kurdistan Region is committed to any agreement within the framework of the constitution, stressing that the autonomous Kurdish government dealt with that particular aspect in a “very transparent manner.”

The KRG’s negotiating delegation, headed by Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, returned to Baghdad over the weekend to complete talks with federal officials on the oil files and the 2021 Budget Law.

Adil expressed his hope that the Iraqi Parliament passes the 2021 Budget Law according to its agreement with the KRG. He noted that negotiations between Erbil and Baghdad have two directions: technical and political. The spokesman indicated that the “technical negotiations” between both sides have been completed.

“The regional government presented all the data related to oil and its revenues,” Adil continued. “The region has discussed all the issues that the Iraqi government or the Parliamentary Finance Committee preferred, and I do not say 100 percent, but we are nearing the end of the negotiations,” that have been ongoing for many months.

According to Adil, the KRG has committed to the previous agreement with Baghdad regarding the transfer of revenue of 250,000 barrels of oil from the regional government to the federal one. He called on Baghdad to “adhere to these details as it is a crucial issue for us.”

“Just as the KRG fulfills its obligations, Baghdad should do the same.”

‘Other alternatives’

When asked about the possibility of an agreement not being reached, the spokesman said, “We hope [the 2021 Budget Law] will be voted on, but if this law is not passed, the Kurdistan Regional Government has its own plan.”

He noted that Prime Minister Masrour Barzani had earlier (late last year) directed the KRG’s Ministries of Planning and Finance to prepare a draft budget for the Kurdistan Region.

“If this law does not pass, there are certainly other alternatives,” Adil reaffirmed.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany