Barzani for negotiations with Baghdad: We had an agreement with the bankrupt state

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Barzani for negotiations with Baghdad: We had an agreement with the bankrupt state By Roudao 18 minutes ago

FILE: A Kurdish delegation meetings with the Iraqi government

Roudao - Erbil

held President of the Kurdistan Regional Government Nechirvan Barzani, on Monday, a joint press conference with Minister of Electricity Salahuddin Babiker, which he referred to the relationship between Erbil and Baghdad problems, in addition to talking about the problem of electricity, after a visit, accompanied by his deputy, Qubad Talabani, to the Ministry of Electricity building ,. The head of the Kurdistan Regional Government during the conference, that the aim of the visit is to "support the Ministry of Electricity and look closely at the work of the ministry, in addition to access to the next steps that the ministry intends to do", while Minister of Electricity Salah al-Din Babiker, he briefed the Prime Minister and his deputy at the Ministry of Electricity Plan, and expressed full readiness to support the plan. On the Barzani's visit on Sunday to Baghdad, said President of the Region Government, that Iraq is going through a severe financial crisis, was the reason for not being able to send the region's share of financial budget, adding: "We have agreed with the bankrupt state." reiterated his government's commitment agreement oil between Erbil and Baghdad, and he also said: "Implementation of the agreement will require the commitment of the parties, and if you do not send Baghdad Kurdistan share, the also the region will not export oil for the benefit of the Iraqi government." .He said Barzani, he was supposed to send Baghdad trillion and 200 billion dinars, compared to the export of the region of 550 thousand barrels per day from fields in the region and Kirkuk, he said, adding: "The Iraqi side suggested that during yesterday's meeting, sending $ 300 million only." As for the employees' salaries region, Barzani stressed that the region is committed to pay the full dues to the staff of the region, but it will be delayed, noting that oil is exported now to meet the debt of the region. And the latest information relating to military cooperation between the province and Baghdad, in a process expected to take control of Mosul, revealed Barzani that "yesterday's meeting touched on the subject, but there were not any clear plan to be agreed upon," noting that "the region is dealing with the matter very carefully, because it does not want the outbreak of the conflict between the Kurds and the Arabs."

 

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[copper13]

PM Barzani about Baghdad accord: We struck a deal with a bankrupt country

 

1 hour ago

Nechirvan Barzani

By Bahez Kamil
 

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The Iraqi government is unable to live up to its commitment of paying the Kurdistan Region’s share of the national budget because of a sharp shortfall in revenues due to a plunge in oil prices, Kurdish Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani told reporters on Monday.
 

He said that Erbil would live up to its December agreement with Baghdad and export 550.000 barrels of oil per day through the Iraqi government, but warned that the deal would be annulled if either side is incapable of fulfilling the terms of the contract.
 

“Obviously we have an agreement with a bankrupt country,” Barzani said, referring to Baghdad’s mounting financial problems that are only exacerbated by the war with Islamic State (ISIS). 
 

“We are fully committed to the agreement but the implementation should be from both parties,” Barzani said. “If they don’t send the budget, we won’t send oil,” he warned.
 

According to an earlier deal between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and Baghdad, the Iraqi government agreed to send Erbil 17 percent of the Iraqi budget -- roughly estimated at $103 billion for 2015 -- in exchange for Kurdish controlled oil.
 

“In yesterday’s meeting they said they could only send $300 million, which is less than half of what we agreed on earlier,” Barzani told reporters in Erbil.
 

The KRG was without its share of the budget virtually for much of the last year, as the then prime minister Nouri al-Maliki froze payments to Erbil in February 2014 over oil disputes.
 

The deadlock between Erbil and Baghdad left Iraq without a ratified budget in 2014. 
 

The Kurdish government has since struggled to finance its hefty expenses, which include the salaries of public servants and pensions, through multiple loans often borrowed from oil companies that are operating in Kurdistan, in exchange for oil.
 

“All public salaries will be paid even if they are delayed,” Barzani vowed.

 

http://rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/160220151?

Edited February 16, 2015 by copper13