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Abadi: We are willing to pay the salaries of the Peshmerga and the staff of the region


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Why is Baghdad paying salaries of Kurdistan employees?

 
 
Adnan Abu Zeed October 27, 2017
 
RTR4W8W4-870.jpg
 
Amid ongoing disputes between Kurdistan and the Iraqi federal government, Baghdad announced that it is going to bypass the Kurdistan Regional Government and pay their civil servants directly.
REUTERS/Azad Lashkari
Iraqi Kurdish President Massoud Barzani (R) and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi attend a joint news conference in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, April 6, 2015.
 

BAGHDAD — Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi intends to have the federal government adopt a policy of paying civil servants’ salaries in Iraqi Kurdistan without mediation from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). This is considered a substantial improvement in the relationship between the federal government and Kurdish citizens in Iraqi Kurdistan, and the move is expected to strike at the very heart of Kurdistan’s economy and undermine Erbil’s authority, as it cannot refuse such an offer.

Baghdad and Erbil have a history of dispute on the topic of staff salaries in Kurdistan, as the two sides differ on the amount of salaries owed. While Baghdad says the budget for Kurdistan employees is 460 billion Iraqi dinars ($392 million), the KRG says it pays 650 billion Iraqi dinars ($554 million) monthly to government employees. According to sources in the KRG, salaries of peshmerga forces, the Kurdish security units (Asayish) and the police cost 400 billion Iraqi dinars ($341 million) each month.

Parliament member Jassim Mohammed Jaafer — who is close to Abadi — announced Baghdad’s intention to pay the salaries of Iraqi Kurdistan’s civil servants. He told Al-Monitor, “Prime Minister Abadi is serious about this plan, and he continues to be so even after the Kurdish government decided to freeze the independence referendum results on Oct. 24, 2017 — especially now that Kirkuk’s oil fields are under Baghdad’s authority.” Jaafer revealed that about 10 oil fields in Kurdistan are expected to have their revenues included in the federal budget to complete the plan, which he expects to be ready in the near future because the federal government has decided that “Kurds should not be deprived of their political, financial and administrative entitlements stated under the constitution.”

Concerning implementation of the plan, Jaafer said the technical system is ready to distribute salaries through the QiCard system, which is currently used in Iraq. “We are waiting for the Kurdish government to send the database of employees and peshmerga personnel so that the QiCard system can be instructed to integrate databases of the Kurdish employees as well as peshmerga personnel to receive their salaries at any of the company offices inside or outside of Kurdistan,” Jaafer added.

QiCard is an electronic payment system through which employees in Iraq get paid through an electronic card following the government’s deposit of their salaries into their respective accounts. Employees can then withdraw their salaries from any of the 200 exchange offices around Iraq.

Majda al-Tamimi, a lawmaker and member of parliament’s Finance Committee, explained to Al-Monitor that the plan can now be applied "since oil sources have come under the authority of the federal government. The Oil Marketing Company SOMO controls the production as well as the export, which brings the required financial revenue to the federal government, allowing payment of salaries in Kurdistan from Baghdad without any financial mediation from the [KRG].”

Concerning the method of applying the plan announced by Abadi, Tamami said, “The Kurdistan salaries committee, of which I’m a part, will discuss the means to implement the new plan with the Ministry of Finance and will look for ways to overcome any difficulties in cashing salaries in Kurdistan. Moreover, the new plan does not need the parliament’s vote, as the prime minister has agreed to it.”

Tamimi seemed confident of success, adding, “I’m sure the federal government seeks to secure salaries of Kurdistan because these employees are Iraqi employees in the end. Moreover, the peshmerga [forces] are a part of the Iraqi security and defense architecture under Article No. 121 of the Iraqi Constitution. Therefore, cashing their salaries from Baghdad is required under the applicable laws.”

By the end of 2014, the KRG had entered into an oil agreement with the Iraqi federal government, which stated that Kurdistan’s entitlements should be reimbursed in exchange for delivering 550,000 barrels of Kurdistan's and Kirkuk’s oil to the federal government each day. However, disputes pushed former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to announce on Nov. 17, 2016, that a 17% share of the central government’s budget that was dedicated to Kurdistan would be cut off due to the KRG’s lack of commitment to the oil agreement.

The plan of direct payment of salaries to Kurdistan is not a new one, as Abadi proposed the same plan to Iraqi Kurdistan in 2016 in exchange for the delivery of Kurdish oil to Baghdad. KRG authorities refused that offer, which has automatically expired now that the Kirkuk oil fields are under the authority of the federal government.

“The salary crisis was one of the aspects of the economic crisis sweeping through Kurdistan before the Iraqi army seized control of the city during the battle of Kirkuk. The obvious truth is that the KRG has failed to secure salaries of employees,” Zana Saied, a member of the Iraqi parliament, told Al-Monitor. The reason is corruption, said Saied, adding, “Exporting about a million barrels each day should have made Kurdistan able to provide salaries and many other financial needs.”

Many people consider the federal government to be waging an economic war on Kurdistan. Jassim al-Mossawi, a political analyst and the head of the Arrasid Center for Media, spoke to Al-Monitor about the political influence used to distance Kurdish authorities from administering salaries to employees, which makes Kurdish citizens feel that “Baghdad is their federal capital as it controls the very details of their lives.” It is expected that Kurdish authorities will be compelled to accept the plan given the financial crisis it is going through, according to Mossawi.

The rising economic hardships imposed on the region by Baghdad and neighboring countries indicate that the salary issue will be solved soon in the favor of Baghdad's plan.

 

 

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Iraq, October 29, 2017 

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi intends to have the federal government adopt a policy of paying civil servants’ salaries in Iraqi Kurdistanwithout mediation from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). This is considered a substantial improvement in the relationship between the federal government and Kurdish citizens in Iraqi Kurdistan, and the move is expected to strike at the very heart of Kurdistan’s economy and undermine Erbil’s authority, as it cannot refuse such an offer.

Baghdad and Erbil have a history of dispute on the topic of staff salaries in Kurdistan, as the two sides differ on the amount of salaries owed. While Baghdad says the budget for Kurdistan employees is 460 billion Iraqi dinars ($392 million), the KRG says it pays 650 billion Iraqi dinars ($554 million) monthly to government employees. According to sources in the KRG, salaries of peshmerga forces, the Kurdish security units (Asayish) and the police cost 400 billion Iraqi dinars ($341 million) each month.

Parliament member Jassim Mohammed Jaafer — who is close to Abadi — announced Baghdad’s intention to pay the salaries of Iraqi Kurdistan’s civil servants. He told Al-Monitor, “Prime Minister Abadi is serious about this plan, and he continues to be so even after the Kurdish government decided to freeze the independence referendum results on Oct. 24, 2017 — especially now that Kirkuk’s oil fields are under Baghdad’s authority.” Jaafer revealed that about 10 oil fields in Kurdistan are expected to have their revenues included in the federal budget to complete the plan, which he expects to be ready in the near future because the federal government has decided that “Kurds should not be deprived of their political, financial and administrative entitlements stated under the constitution.”

Concerning implementation of the plan, Jaafer said the technical system is ready to distribute salaries through the QiCard system, which is currently used in Iraq. “We are waiting for the Kurdish government to send the database of employees and peshmerga personnel so that the QiCard system can be instructed to integrate databases of the Kurdish employees as well as peshmerga personnel to receive their salaries at any of the company offices inside or outside of Kurdistan,” Jaafer added.

QiCard is an electronic payment system through which employees in Iraq get paid through an electronic card following the government’s deposit of their salaries into their respective accounts. Employees can then withdraw their salaries from any of the 200 exchange offices around Iraq.

Majda al-Tamimi, a lawmaker and member of parliament’s Finance Committee, explained to Al-Monitor that the plan can now be applied 'since oil sources have come under the authority of the federal government. The Oil Marketing Company SOMO controls the production as well as the export, which brings the required financial revenue to the federal government, allowing payment of salaries in Kurdistan from Baghdad without any financial mediation from the [KRG].”

Concerning the method of applying the plan announced by Abadi, Tamami said, “The Kurdistan salaries committee, of which I’m a part, will discuss the means to implement the new plan with the Ministry of Finance and will look for ways to overcome any difficulties in cashing salaries in Kurdistan. Moreover, the new plan does not need the parliament’s vote, as the prime minister has agreed to it.”

Tamimi seemed confident of success, adding, “I’m sure the federal government seeks to secure salaries of Kurdistan because these employees are Iraqi employees in the end. Moreover, the peshmerga [forces] are a part of the Iraqi security and defense architecture under Article No. 121 of the Iraqi Constitution. Therefore, cashing their salaries from Baghdad is required under the applicable laws.”

By the end of 2014, the KRG had entered into an oil agreement with the Iraqi federal government, which stated that Kurdistan’s entitlements should be reimbursed in exchange for delivering 550,000 barrels of Kurdistan's and Kirkuk’s oil to the federal government each day. However, disputes pushed former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to announce on Nov. 17, 2016, that a 17% share of the central government’s budget that was dedicated to Kurdistan would be cut off due to the KRG’s lack of commitment to the oil agreement.

The plan of direct payment of salaries to Kurdistan is not a new one, as Abadi proposed the same plan to Iraqi Kurdistan in 2016 in exchange for the delivery of Kurdish oil to Baghdad. KRG authorities refused that offer, which has automatically expired now that the Kirkuk oil fieldsare under the authority of the federal government.

“The salary crisis was one of the aspects of the economic crisis sweeping through Kurdistan before the Iraqi army seized control of the city during the battle of Kirkuk. The obvious truth is that the KRG has failed to secure salaries of employees,” Zana Saied, a member of the Iraqi parliament, told Al-Monitor. The reason is corruption, said Saied, adding, “Exporting about a million barrels each day should have made Kurdistan able to provide salaries and many other financial needs.”

Many people consider the federal government to be waging an economic war on KurdistanJassim al-Mossawi, a political analyst and the head of the Arrasid Center for Media, spoke to Al-Monitor about the political influence used to distance Kurdish authorities from administering salaries to employees, which makes Kurdish citizens feel that “Baghdad is their federal capital as it controls the very details of their lives.” It is expected that Kurdish authorities will be compelled to accept the plan given the financial crisis it is going through, according to Mossawi.

The rising economic hardships imposed on the region by Baghdad and neighboring countries indicate that the salary issue will be solved soon in the favor of Baghdad's plan.

monitor

 

http://iraqdailyjournal.com/story-z16124721

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12 hours ago, nannab said:

  Now does that mean

that article 140 is out of the equation?

No!! Article 140 is being implemented at the same time as well, which has to do with the disputed areas, the HCL is where allocations of money goes...and here another example...Oil warns companies from contracting with any party without reference to the federal government and GM Everybody

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2 hours ago, yota691 said:

No!! Article 140 is being implemented at the same time as well, which has to do with the disputed areas, the HCL is where allocations of money goes...and here another example...Oil warns companies from contracting with any party without reference to the federal government and GM Everybody

 

Thank ya Yota. I am now  legally an old lady and the filters are off. A right of passage i'm told. :lol:

Good morning DV

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5 hours ago, yota691 said:

No!! Article 140 is being implemented at the same time as well, which has to do with the disputed areas, the HCL is where allocations of money goes...and here another example...Oil warns companies from contracting with any party without reference to the federal government and GM Everybody

GM!! Afternoon. 😁😁

Great News today, sir. 

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23 hours ago, yota691 said:

Well working toward implementation, that why you see Abadi stating  Before the end of the year the entire country will be under government control

 

5 hours ago, yota691 said:

No!! Article 140 is being implemented at the same time as well, which has to do with the disputed areas, the HCL is where allocations of money goes...and here another example...Oil warns companies from contracting with any party without reference to the federal government and GM Everybody

 

Master Yota, if you believe, I believe, WE ALL BELIEVE!!!  :praying:

LOOKING FORWARD TO MEETING YOU AND EVERYBODY AT THE BAR IN THE CARRIBEAN!!!........SHORTLY?!!! :praying::cheesehead:

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OCTOBER 31, 2017 / 4:25 PM / UPDATED 41 MINUTES AGO

Iraq to pay Kurdish Peshmerga, region's civil servants -PM Abadi

Reuters Staff

1 MIN READ

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BAGHDAD, Oct 31 (Reuters) - The Iraqi government plans to soon start paying the salaries of Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and civil servants working for the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi told reporters on Tuesday.

http://www.reuters.com/article/mideast-crisis-iraq-kurds-economy/iraq-to-pay-kurdish-peshmerga-regions-civil-servants-pm-abadi-idUSL8N1N66S0?rpc=401&

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  • yota691 changed the title to Abadi: We are willing to pay the salaries of the Peshmerga and the staff of the region
2017/11/01 (00:01 PM)   -   Number of readings: 287   -   Number (4056)
 
 
-1.jpg?width=400



 Baghdad / Range 
 

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said yesterday that the military units are achieving a great achievement in the liberation operations of al-Qaim district, pointing out that the next few days will witness the declaration of the city liberated. And warned at the same time, the occurrence of terrorist operations targeting visitors to the quartet. "We warn against cowardly operations after the eradication of terrorism in the field," Abadi said during his weekly press conference. "We need to be vigilant during the fortieth visit."

On the ongoing operations in western Anbar, the prime minister said that "the security forces have made great progress starting from the start of these operations, despite the bad weather that caused the slow operations during the past two days," pointing out that "the next few days will see the full victory of terrorism." Abadi added that "the military units managed to end the military as a military entity, but there are challenges will remain until after the end of the organization is the terrorist thought and sources of funding and recruitment." 
On the developments of the crisis between Baghdad and Erbil, the Prime Minister pointed out that "there are Kurdish media have worked to incite the killing of Iraqi soldiers and boasted of that." He reiterated that "the government is very keen on the safety of the Peshmerga forces and federal forces and there is no pride in the killing of any Iraqi citizen."
However, Abadi said that "Baghdad seeks to provide the salaries of the Peshmerga and the rest of the staff in the region after the completion of control over the pipeline oil carrier to the Turkish territory, which passes through the port of Vishkhabor."

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Totally agreed tiger. Albadi is the BEST thing to happen to Iraq. All the good news is so wonderful, been in this for over 10 years now and never have I seen such progress. Plus 1 fur u! 

Ps does Laid Back have copy rights on "Go...." seriously nuttin but luv my friend!

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