Abadi firm on KRG budget share, open to talk other issues: MP

Rudaw - After an hour-long meeting with Kurdish blocs in the Iraqi parliament, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s stance on the budget did not waver. He remained firm on the position that the Kurdistan Region should receive a 12.6 percent share of the 2018 budget, proportional to its population, a parliamentarian revealed.

“What we discussed on the budget share, he was insistent that it was allocated per the population ratio,” Amin Bakir, a Gorran MP in the Iraqi parliament, told Rudaw.

The budget was the main topic discussed, Bakir reported, but said they also spoke about Baghdad paying KRG state salaries. He said he personally suggested the central government send at least two months’ salaries for the education and health ministries while auditing is under way. Bakir said Abadi agreed and would work to pay the salaries for two to three months on the basis of the auditing done so far.

Bakir said that they resolved the issue of language used in the budget bill with respect to naming the Kurdistan Region. The draft bill had named the constitutionally-recognized Region, ‘the provinces of the Kurdistan Region.’

Concerning the Kurdish Peshmerga budget, Abadi informed the Kurdistan Region MPs that they had allocated the budget based on the Region’s population size and from the Iraqi ground forces' share.

The heads of the Kurdish blocs will hold a private meeting with Abadi Thursday evening, at 6:30pm, Bakir added. This second round of talks will be a continuation of their first meeting as Abadi showed willingness to review several numbers in the budget bill that the Kurdish MPs have reservations about.

He said if Abadi was willing to review them, they would welcome it.

“We support dialogue to resolve the problems,” he said, explaining that their boycott of parliamentary sessions on the budget is not to impose demands or close the door to dialogue.

“What is really important for us is to resolve the problem of the salaries and livelihood of our people,” he asserted, adding that not all the demands of the Kurdish parties will necessarily be met.

They are working hard to guarantee and stabilize the salaries of KRG civil servants, he added.

Rudaw.net - (Thanks to Charles Bright)