Kurdish delegation heading to Baghdad over budget, salary issues

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – A delegation will visit Baghdad on Wednesday to provide a list of government employees for review, a Health Ministry official revealed.

“A joint delegation from the ministries of Health and Education in the Kurdistan Region will visit Baghdad on Wednesday to provide the names of employees to a committee formed by the Iraqi Parliament for scrutiny,” the Director of General Planning for the Ministry of Health, Vian Mohammed, told Kurdistan 24.

The delegation’s visit comes a day after Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced Baghdad was ready to pay the salaries of employees in the two ministries once the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) submitted their names to an audit.

The committee that will be reviewing the names consists of two representatives from the KRG and five from Baghdad.

“We have been preparing the lists for about a week and completed preparations to meet with the committee on Thursday morning,” Mohammed added.

During his weekly press conference in Baghdad, Abadi said the existence of a “technical problem” would not prevent the Iraqi government from providing the people of Kurdistan with their salaries.

“The existence of problems regarding the names and number of employees of the Kurdistan Region will not be a barrier for the payment of their salaries,” the Iraqi Prime Minister said after his meeting with government officials in Baghdad.

Tensions between Erbil and Baghdad have increased since the Region held an independence referendum on Sep. 25, 2017, which won overwhelming support for secession from Iraq.

Baghdad refused to recognize the vote and instead responded by imposing collective punitive measures against Kurdistan, including the use of military force in disputed areas. It also slashed the Kurdistan Region’s federal budget share from 17 percent to 12.6 percent, a decision which Abadi has stated would not be revisited.