President Barzani: Iraq’s Peshmerga budget bill lacks transparency

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – On Thursday, President Barzani released a statement for the people of the Kurdistan Region, stating that the approved Peshmerga budget bill in Iraq’s parliament lacks clarity.

The President of the Kurdistan Region Masoud Barzani stated that the bill is unclear and the terms used in the bill can be easily manipulated since they are subject to different and contradictory interpretations.

On Sunday, the parliament of Iraq in Baghdad approved the budget bill of Peshmerga forces for 2017. The Kurdish factions voted for the bill except for the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) that left the parliament session in objection, stating the bill lacks clarity and does not secure the rights of Peshmerga and the people of Kurdistan Region.

“The topic of making problems for the budget of Peshmerga is not something new,” Barzani’s statement continued. “Since 2005, the federal government of Iraq has not enacted the financial rights of Peshmerga and the Kurdistan Region by making up different excuses.”

He mentioned that those who have the mentality and policies of blocking the Kurdistan Region budget would never be ready to resolve the issues related to the Region.

President Barzani also called on the Kurdish members of the Iraqi parliament to carefully review the subject with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and discuss whether the approved bills serve the people of the Kurdistan Region and can cause an increase in revenue.

He noted that if the bills have a controversial impact, the truths and political propaganda regarding the Kurdistan Region budget and revenue should be clarified for the people of the Region.

Previously, the KRG also released a statement warning of serious political conspiracy against Kurdistan Region.

“[The bill contains] the same text as the previous years but, for unknown reasons, it has never been implemented,” the statement continued.

“In 2017’s bill, the share provided for the Peshmerga and the number of Peshmerga forces receiving salaries [from the Iraqi government] had not been mentioned,” the KRG report added.

Baghdad government has blockaded the budget share of the Kurdistan Region since the beginning of 2014, accusing the KRG of selling oil independently while the KRG claims to have a constitutional right to manage its resources as an autonomous region in the country.

Editing by Ava Homa