‘Who sells the oil is not our issue’, DPM Talabani tells top US official  

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Region does not have an issue with “who sells the oil”, but it is concerned about securing its fair share of the federal budget and the other constitutional rights, Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani said on Wednesday.

Talabani received the US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara A. Leaf and her accompanying delegation in Erbil, where they discussed Erbil-Baghdad relations, the latest political developments in Iraq as well the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) reform progress, according to a statement from the Kurdish official’s office.

Speaking of the outstanding issues between the Kurdish and Iraqi governments, Talabani told the top US official: “We do not have an issue with who sells the oil. But our concerns are about securing the budget, financial entitlements, and the Kurdish people’s constitutional rights,” Talabani told Leaf, who was accompanied by US Ambassador to Iraq Alina Romanowski in the meeting.

The official expressed his government’s keenness in implementing reforms “in all sectors step by step”, asking Washington to continue its support for the government’s efforts.

The US diplomat on Sunday arrived in Baghdad, where she met with the top Iraqi officials, including Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi and Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Al-Halboosi.

They also discussed Iraq’s political situation and the latest developments, stressing all parties need to resolve the outstanding issues through “national dialogue” and avoid inflammatory statements.