Erbil-Baghdad issues can be resolved: Iraqi PM

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region- Erbil-Baghdad outstanding issues can be resolved if there is willingness, the Iraqi Prime Minister said on Tuesday during his weekly press conference, amid pressure on his administration to force the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to handover oil to the State Oil Marketing Company (SOMO).

“We have a budget [bill] agreement. The budget agreement stipulates that it is the duty of the Region to hand over 250,000 barrels of oil,” Iraqi PM Adel Abdul-Mahdi told reporters on Tuesday night in his weekly press conference.

On June 20, Nerchirvan Barzani met with the central government’s prime minister, president, and speaker of the house. The meeting included discussions on the pending disputes over the 2020 budget. The KRG has so far failed to keep its side of the deal agreed in the 2019 budget to deliver 250,000 barrels of oil per day to central government in exchange for its share of the federal budget.

However, Abdul-Mahdi said the meeting with Barzani was “very important” and that the KRG President showed willingness to hold up the Kurdistan Region’s end of the deal and transfer the allotted barrels of oil.

The PM said that dialogue could as soon as tomorrow, or take some time, but reiterated that either way, the government was “committed to implementing the law”.

“The budget law says that the KRG must handover the 250,000 barrels, “otherwise a proportionate amount will be cut from the Region’s budget share. And this is what we are doing”, said Abdul-Madhi.

Since the implementation of the 2019 budget, KRG hasn’t handed over any oil, and a proportionate amount. Baghdad re-started sending full salaries to the Region, since 2014.
According to Abdul-Mahdi, while Baghdad can take legal action, the governments should rather work to find a solution.

“It is also our duty as the children of one country to invest, harness, and use any indication of good will to find solutions”, he said.

“These topics can’t be solved based on attacks, speeches through satellite channels, or journalists. They need to be dealt by officials responsible for the matters putting forth solutions”, the PM added.

Political groups exaggerate issues in media to “make it difficult” for the public to correctly understand the issues, the PM argued.

The PM is particularly feeling the heat coming from former prime minister Haider al-Abadi, who has set his eyes on a second term. Abadi’s Nasr bloc in the parliament has been an ardent critic of the KRG failing to hand over oil and has threatened action.

Abdul-Mahdi said rather that the problems could be resolved “if there is goodwill” and if the main points, are agreed upon, within the framework of Iraqi unity and the constitution.

“Everything has a solution. There is nothing that can’t be resolved.”

Dr. Bashir Haddad, Iraqi parliament’s second deputy speaker, appearing on Rudaw TV on Tuesday night, said that there is a "very constructive atmosphere" now for resolving issues between Baghdad and Erbil.

They have created a "wide network of relations" with other Iraqi Arab blocs, whether Shiites or Sunnis, and have visited major political figures to "calm Erbil-Baghdad" relations.

A delegation from the Kurdistan Region will visit Baghdad in the coming days, for a meeting on "all issues", said Dr. Haddad.

Article Credit: https://www.rudaw.net/
Special Thanks to Charles Bright!!