Parliamentary power: Kurds did not provide a convincing justification for non-commitment to pay oil money

[Wiljor]

46 minutes ago, ChuckFinley said:

Sounds good, i just need to get there. 

 

Afternoon brother Chuck, hopefully one day soon we will be to toasting umbrella drinks in your place of choice  

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Baghdad renews its commitment to impose its authority on the airports of Kurdistan and its frontier

27/02/2018 | LOC22: 55  19:55 GMT | Gulf News

BAGHDAD, Feb 27 (KUNA) - Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi on Tuesday reiterated his government's determination to impose federal authority on the airports of Iraq's Kurdistan region and its border fighter.  Abadi said in a press conference that his government stipulated the activation of customs duties at the border crossings of the Kurdistan region, adding that this does not mean infringement of the constitutional rights of the province.  "We will not back down from these measures and all negotiations with the KRG are proceeding on this basis," he said, pledging positive steps in the near future.  On the other hand revealed Abadi close to reach an agreement with the region to use the pipeline, which passes through its territory to export oil Kirkuk province of Iraq to Turkey.  He pointed to talks in this file also included the Turkish side, stressing that Baghdad wants to pump oil from Kirkuk to receive it in the Turkish port of Ceyhan to be sold from there for the benefit of the Iraqi government. He explained that pumping oil through the Kurdish pipeline will increase revenues of the federal government and can therefore pay the salaries of employees of the Kurdistan region of Iraq. (End) hh

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Abadi: We agreed with Erbil on the resumption of Kirkuk oil exports

Published: 27.02.2018 | 19:24 GMT |

 

Ahmed Saad

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi

 

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Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi said that his government agreed with the authorities in the Kurdistan region to resume oil exports from Kirkuk through the Turkish port of Ceyhan to the world market soon.

"There is an agreement with the Kurdish side to start exporting oil," Abadi said in a speech at a weekly conference on Tuesday. "The two sides agreed to deal with the differences later, without giving a specific time frame for the resumption of exports.

However, Ebadi wondered, "Where have billions of dollars of oil exported in the region?", Revealing that "Ararat is shutting down its radars and carrying oil to sail to Israel."

Abadi stressed the keenness of the central authorities in Baghdad on the security of Kirkuk and keeping it a "city for peaceful coexistence", where "committees have been formed to simplify the procedures for obtaining the families of the martyrs of their rights."

The Iraqi Prime Minister pointed out that the customs revenues have achieved a significant increase after the elimination of some of the hotbeds of corruption, stressing that "the government is keen on the presence of federal authority at the border crossings."

It should be noted that news reports published by the agency "Reuters" in 2014 revealed the accession of the United States and Israel to the list of growing countries of buyers of crude oil from the Kurdistan region of Iraq in "illegal", while confirming that Israel received four shipments of crude oil from Kurdistan During the same year.

Source: Reuters + Alsumaria News

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Masrour Barzani: Time for Baghdad to Show Commitment to Constitution

 

 

 27/02/2018 - 01:48

 

 

 

 

LODZ — The Chancellor of Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC) Masrour Barzani who is now in the US for a series of meetings, reiterated on Monday that Erbil fulfilled its constitutional obligations and it is time for Baghdad to show commitment.

Speaking to reporters from Washington, Barzani said he has met with senior officials at the White House and State Department to discuss the political and security developments in the region.

The prolonged disputes between Erbil and Baghdad topped the agenda of the meetings between the Kurdish and American officials.

“What had to be fulfilled by the Kurdistan Region, from A to Z of the Iraqi constitution, is done. We believe that it is time for the Baghdad government to fulfil its obligations, especially with regards to Kurdistan Region’s public servants’ salaries and reopening the airports,” Barzani pointed out.

He noted that Washington values the role of Kurdistan Region as a decisive partner in the Middle East and it is in favour of further strengthening ties with Erbil despite differences.

Concerning the Islamic State (IS) crisis, the KRSC chief said that the extremist group has been militarily defeated and it has lost ground, however, it does not mean the complete elimination of the group and its ideology.

The Kurdish official stressed the required efforts to address the root facts which have led to the emergence of IS, saying that the government must resolve the issues which provided the ground for the birth and growth of terrorism.

“However, Iraq is yet to take any steps to address these issues.”

Discussing last September’s independence referendum in which over 92% of the people of Kurdistan voted in favour of statehood, the chancellor of KRSC reasserted that the vote was a move to allow a nation voice its will on its future. “It does not mean that we are not realistic… but we believed that that the referendum could prevent the unjust military attack [on Kurdistan] which finally happened,” Barzani said.

“We needed an international guarantee to end the catastrophes brought to our people throughout the past decades. Unfortunately [the referendum] was misinterpreted and we believe the misinterpretation was intentional as there have always been attempts to undermine the rule of Kurdistan Region.”

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Masrour Barzani: We Will Never Give up on Our Land

 

 

 

 26/02/2018 - 07:13

Interviews

 

 

 

Chancellor of Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC) Masrour Barzani has reiterated that the Kurds will never give up on their land, and that “what belongs to Kurdistan, belongs to Kurdistan”.

The top Kurdish security official said in his latest interview that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has accepted the conditions Baghdad set for resolving disputes with Erbil, but the central government is denying any solution as it uses the case to buy sympathy of Iraqi nationalist voters for the upcoming elections. 

The following is the transcript of Masrour Barzani’s interview originally published on al-Monitor.

 

Al-Monitor:  Are your dreams of an independent Kurdistan over?

Barzani:  Well, as a nation I don’t think that dream will ever die out. We just have to be realistic about what is possible. We believed it was important for the world and the Iraqi government also should know what the desires of the Kurdish people are. This is why we did the referendum the way we did. We had some concerns about the future of our people. We wanted to make sure there would be no confrontation, that we would have peaceful and stable relations with Baghdad in whatever structure that we could agree on and based on mutual interests. Unfortunately, I believe the intentions of our people were deliberately misinterpreted because expressing a desire doesn’t mean that it should necessarily lead to confrontation. And that is when things went wrong and we are not really responsible for the consequences.

Al-Monitor:  Holding the referendum was signaling a clear intent for a popular mandate for declaring independence. That is what your father, Massoud Barzani, certainly said. Assessing the reaction you had from the main stakeholders, would you say the world is not ready for an independent Kurdistan?

Barzani:  Well, obviously it wasn’t. But expressing a desire for the will of a nation of how they want to live is not a crime. This is what our people did. Whenever there were negotiations about future relations between the Kurdistan Region and Baghdad, the response was that this [the view articulated by the Kurdish side] did not necessarily reflect the will of all the Kurds so it was necessary to know what the Kurdish people want. Now we do know what they want: 92% voted “yes” in favor of independence.

Al-Monitor:  Do you believe you can continue as part of Iraq given how dysfunctional this relationship has been and seems to continue to be? 

Barzani:  When a nation expresses its desire for the way of life they want to have and to secure and guarantee the future of their children, that is what matters above all else. But when the world doesn’t accept this and reacts the way it did, this flies in the face of all the values and the principles and the charter of the United Nations that gives every nation the right of self-determination. The referendum was a peaceful and civilized exercise in democracy. I don’t think the Kurdish people should be held responsible or punished for saying how they want to live.

Al-Monitor:  If you were to assess the reasons as to why the referendum went horribly awry, how would you list them in order of importance? Resistance from Baghdad, Iran, Turkey, the United States? Kurdish disunity? Poor timing?

Barzani:  We had many conversations with many countries, including the Iraqis, the United States, the West, our neighbors. We didn’t hear any of them object to the principle of self-determination or that they were against independence per se. We heard concerns about the timing. We didn’t believe the reasons put forward to us justified postponing the referendum. I am talking mainly about the United States and the Iraqis here and some European countries. Their concerns were mainly on three points. One was that they believed that the referendum would negatively impact the fight against the Islamic State [IS]. Second, that the current prime minister would have trouble getting re-elected. And third, that tensions in disputed territories may lead to military confrontation. We had our own answers to all three of these points. First of all, our determination to fight IS had nothing to do with our relationship with Baghdad. If you look back to how IS emerged to begin with, you can easily see that it was the failure of the political system in Baghdad that led to economic collapse, a security vacuum and the military collapse of 12 Iraqi divisions, with all of their weapons and equipment falling into the hands of IS. In less than a month IS became one of the strongest armed forces in the region. And when they turned against us it was the determination of our people and bravery of our peshmergas with the support of the coalition forces that stopped IS. Baghdad at the time objected to our being given heavy weapons and the salaries of our peshmerga were cut and our share of the Iraqi national budget has been frozen since 2014. The decision to fight IS was our own. No matter the state of our relations with Baghdad we shall always remain committed to fighting international terrorism. We were ready to sign an agreement with Baghdad and the coalition forces committing ourselves to continue to fight IS and to fully cooperate with them in this fight.

Al-Monitor:  You mean during and after the referendum?

Barzani:  Yes.

Al-Monitor:  And they were not convinced?

Barzani:  No. As to the second point, regarding Prime Minister Abadi’s re-election, we believe our influence to help re-elect anybody is very limited because the election system in place in Iraq is designed to assure the Shiites are a majority.

Al-Monitor:  But your backing of one Shiite group versus another surely matters?

Barzani:  Let me explain. The nomination of the candidate is the most important phase in this process. We know the next prime minister will definitely come from a Shiite bloc. If they are all united, the voices of the Sunnis and the Kurds combined would be irrelevant. If not, that is when, if nobody secures a clear majority, that the coalition building, the bargaining starts …That’s when we and the other voices come into play. We were ready even then to get into negotiations about choosing the best candidate, option for the future in line with the interests of the coalition, the West and above all the Iraqi people. So again the referendum did not prejudice this process or its outcome in any way. Finally, the point about the presence of peshmergas in the disputed territory leading to military confrontation with Iraqi forces — let me just remind you that the peshmergas were in those areas for a reason. It's because Iraqi forces failed to defend them from IS and left. We never said the referendum was going to draw borders between Kurdistan or the rest of Iraq. We were very clear that we were availing ourselves of our right enshrined in Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution [providing for a referendum in the disputed territories]. 

Al-Monitor:  It's often argued that had you left Kirkuk out of the referendum, we would not have been where we are today. Looking back, do you think it was a mistake to include Kirkuk?

Barzani:  There were two views on that. Some believed that the referendum should solely cover the current administrative region of the Kurdistan Regional Government [KRG]. Others argued that since no definitive decisions about drawing, imposing new borders, were being made, it made no difference. If an Iraqi Kurd living in Germany or elsewhere can vote in the referendum, why would a Kurd living in the disputed territories be denied that right? 

Al-Monitor:  Another argument as to why Kirkuk had to be included was that if it were not the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan [PUK] would not have been on board for the referendum. But then we had Bafel Talabani [oldest son of the late PUK leader Jalal Talabani] come out just before the referendum and essentially declare in a video message that the status of Kirkuk could be deferred. Maybe that was a signal that needed to be heeded?

Barzani:  There were many PUK leaders who insisted that Kirkuk should be included. People who were actually in the leadership and they were who we were negotiating with. 

Al-Monitor:  Why did the United States come out so harshly against the referendum?

Barzani:  I don’t know. You have to ask them. When we were weighing all their concerns we concluded there was nothing wrong with the referendum and would not have any negative consequences.

Al-Monitor:  Had the United States not been so publicly vocal about its opposition to the referendum before and after it was held, do you believe the Iraqi government could have acted with the same degree of forcefulness and as you see it, aggression against the Kurds? Did Washington’s policies embolden Baghdad?

Barzani:  They were emboldened by the lack of response or actions by the international community and also of course the United States. If they had not accepted Iraq taking unconstitutional measures, and reacting disproportionately to the referendum, then probably the Iraqi government would not have felt encouraged to use military force to settle political differences with millions of people in a country called Iraq. The people voting in the referendum were Iraqi citizens. The United States could have ensured, and convinced Baghdad, that the results of the referendum would not automatically lead to a unilateral declaration of Kurdish independence. This was just a vote. 

Why do the Kurds always have to please others, defer to the agendas of others? We want to live in peace.

Al-Monitor:  The US response to that would be that Iraqi forces have every much of a right to be in the disputed territories, say like Kirkuk, as you do and that Iraqi forces did not attack you but rather moved in and that you then withdrew. That there was no confrontation between your forces and Iraqi government forces.

Barzani:  That is not true. We said we were ready to negotiate with Baghdad before and after the referendum. The referendum was meant to give us a popular mandate to do this. We have always said that the fate of Kirkuk and the rest of the disputed territories should be decided according to Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution. There was nothing done on our side to impose our will on the fate of those regions. Iraq used military force to drive the peshmergas out. It was an act of aggression against their own people. 

Al-Monitor:  There seems to be some confusion as to what actually happened. Did you fight with Iraqi security forces?

Barzani:  Of course. Prior to the fight there was a military buildup in those regions and Baghdad’s intention was crystal clear. Despite all the calls from KRG officials and party leaders for peaceful negotiations, Baghdad’s military buildup grew. Instead of negotiating with the KRG, some elements within Baghdad were talking to a faction within the PUK to cut a deal about how these troops should move in and the idea was [that] some of these forces should come to a military base called K1 and to the oil fields of Kirkuk. There was no talk of moving these people into the city itself. Apparently different deals were made. 

Al-Monitor:  Who were making these deals?

Barzani:  A faction within the PUK. I don’t like to personalize. But it is well-established who, and people know. [Author's note: Barzani is most likely referring to the PUK's Bafel Talabani and his mother, Hero Talabani].

Al-Monitor:  Was another country involved?

Barzani:  The Iranians, the Iraqis with the Popular Mobilization Units with a faction of the PUK. And they had some discussions with officials of both the United States and the United Kingdom and that’s based on what they were saying. That they had already been consulting with the embassies and Baghdad.

Al-Monitor:  Was Turkey involved in any of the deal-making for Kirkuk?

Barzani:  Not that I am aware.

Al-Monitor:  Do you think in the absence of Kirkuk you could still have a viable independent Kurdistan?

Barzani:  The whole idea of independence is not just about a city or a region. It's the desire of a nation wherever they may be. Kirkuk is important and it's historically been a part of Kurdistan. Now it's disputed. But what did the Iraqi government do to implement Article 140 of the constitution since 2005? What a future Kurdish entity would include is subject to negotiation and we have a mechanism for settling what belongs to whom and where. But the notion of independence itself was rejected.

Al-Monitor:  Now that you have lost all these territories, do you believe you enjoy the same level of leverage you did prior to the referendum? What incentive would any Iraqi leader have to negotiate with the Kurds at this point?

Barzani:  Look at our history for the past hundred years. When Saddam was in power he controlled all of Kurdistan. Did we disappear? Didn’t we come back? Of course. What belongs to Kurdistan belongs to Kurdistan. We will never give up our land or the well-being of our people.

Al-Monitor:  Do you believe the current situation in Iraq makes it easier for IS to make a comeback?

Barzani:  The whole world is making a huge mistake thinking that the military defeat of IS will eradicate its ideology. They lost territory and were military defeated but they were not eliminated. They are still out there and regrouping, attacking. You have to look at the root causes that lead to the rise of such terrorist organizations. Has there been any real attempt to address them? No. Discrimination, exclusion of different communities. Not accepting them as equal partners. Tell me where in Iraq is stable, is safe, where services are provided? Where is water, where is electricity? Where is all the money going? Iraq is a very rich country. It's the mismanagement of its wealth and resources and the discrimination against certain groups that fractured the country. Kurdistan was and remains by far the most secure and stable part of Iraq. Everyone who knows Iraq accepts this. But the military attacks against Kurdistan last year have cast a shadow and beg the question of why anyone would want to destabilize the most stable part of the country. 

Al-Monitor:  Does the threat of further Iraqi aggression against you exist?

Barzani:  This whole thing was part of the same package: to undermine the rule of the KRG. A deliberate misinterpreting of the intentions of the Kurds in the referendum. It was just a vote. They tried to marginalize, undermine and isolate Kurdistan. Of course there were talks among the regional countries and Baghdad sent its own envoys to both Tehran and to Ankara and they agreed on how to react to the Kurdish referendum. Baghdad often talks about the sovereignty of the country, that they do not accept any interference from other countries, yet it was the Iraqi envoys who went to the neighboring countries and asked for their involvement and participation in coming to the aid of Iraq to deal with an internal issue within Iraq. 

Al-Monitor:  There is quite a bit of talk that Ankara and Baghdad are discussing a joint operation against the PKK [Kurdistan Workers Party] in Sinjar. Is one likely?

Barzani:  I don’t know.

Al-Monitor:  What happens when a new version of IS re-emerges and the United States comes knocking on your door for help again, having failed to defend you against Iraqi forces?

Barzani:  Our commitment to fight terrorism has nothing to do with our political relations with any country. We will fight terrorism no matter what. Had we been fighting on behalf of somebody else when we were being deprived of weapons, then we would not have fought. We fought against an enemy that brought Baghdad to its knees. We saved the country.

Al-Monitor:  So the United States can continue to count on you as an ally?

Barzani:  Of course, we are allies even if we have disagreements on certain issues, but when it comes to the fight against terrorism, we are very important and active members of the coalition against terrorists.

Al-Monitor:  The Trump administration describes one of its top foreign policy goals as curbing Iran’s influence. Do you agree with the view that the events that unfolded after the referendum, with Washington’s acquiescence, some would call it cooperation, has had the opposite effect. 

Barzani:  Let's just look at the facts. With all due respect to Iran and any other country rightly pursuing its own interests, this should not be interpreted as a statement against them. But since 2003 till the present, the influence of Iran in the region has definitely increased. Did they play their cards well? I think they did. Did they take advantage of the opportunities available to them? Yes, they did. They are very smart players and good at expanding their influence and that’s what we see today. I am not speaking about the current or previous US administrations in particular, but every time they, say, declare their intents publicly, these are not matched by the realities on the ground.

Al-Monitor:  Is there a lesson here for Syria’s Kurds?

Barzani:  The situation of the Kurds in Syria is far more complex. There are other internal issues in Syria and among the Syrian Kurds themselves. But overall there is no political agreement between the Kurds in Syria and any other country in the coalition against IS. The Kurds by nature are good fighters and I think the entire world gives them credit for that, be they in Syria or Iraq. The Syrian Kurds fought well against IS and so far they are just being supported to continue that fight. Whether or not there will be political relations between the Syrian Kurds and the rest of the world is another matter. We don’t know and so far we haven’t seen much movement on that front.

Al-Monitor:  Now they are fighting the Turkish army as well and we recently saw a parliamentary delegation from the KRG that included representatives from the KRG travel to Afrin to show solidarity. Is there a rapprochement between the KRG and the Rojava administration?

Barzani:  Let me be clear. The Kurds are not related to one particular party or group. Turkey is saying they are fighting one particular group and not the Kurds per se. The solidarity shown by the KRG has nothing to do with political disagreements or alignments with one group or the other.

There are huge numbers of civilians who are caught in the middle of this conflict. Many of these people have affiliations with us, sympathize with us [the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iraq]. We have historical and political relations with them. We are one nation. The solidarity is shown with the Kurdish people. These innocent civilians need humanitarian support and we are ready to provide any assistance we can to ease their suffering. We are against war and issues that can be resolved peacefully should be addressed as such.

Al-Monitor:  Are you willing to mediate between Turkey and the PKK/YPG [Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units]?

Barzani:  If there is anything we can do to save innocent lives we certainly will.

Al-Monitor:  In the past you used to say that you wanted the PKK out of Sinjar. Does that still hold true?

Barzani:  Yes, we believe that if any Kurdish group or faction is from a different country they should focus on their own problems in their own country. Exporting their problems to a different country will only make things more complicated.

Al-Monitor:  Does that apply to the Iranian Kurdish groups as well? We hear they are being told by KRG authorities to move away from their positions along the Iraq-Iran border.

Barzani:  The Iranian Kurds, relatively speaking, have been more quiet and have responded positively to the call of the KRG to not conduct military operations against Iran. I think it's a completely different situation with them.

Al-Monitor:  We saw Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani travel to Tehran recently and this spurred speculation about a recalibration of your relations with regional countries, neighbors. Is that happening?

Barzani:  We are surrounded by Iran, Turkey and Syria and of course in Iraq we have our own issues. We have no intention of fueling animosity between our people and these countries that are our neighbors. We have always extended the hand of friendship based on mutual respect and interests to them. As long as these countries do not pose a threat or undermine our constitutional rights we are ready to work with them to promote stability, prosperity and peace in the region.

Al-Monitor:  Is it true that your father was invited by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Ankara recently and that he refused to go because of the Afrin operation?

Barzani:  I haven’t heard anything about that.

Al-Monitor:  How do you assess your relationship with Turkey in the aftermath of the referendum? What has changed?

Barzani:  Turkey has been a critical partner for the KRG. Economically it's been the corridor between Kurdistan and the rest of the world. Throughout the turbulence around the referendum Turkey never sealed its borders, and that helped prevent a humanitarian crisis in Kurdistan. It was a very important gesture. Sure, there are always tensions, ups and downs, in relations, but let's look at the bright future we have together.

Al-Monitor:  Do you think part of Turkey’s opposition to the referendum was driven by President Erdogan’s domestic agenda?

Barzani:  Yes, I think a lot of it was.

Al-Monitor:  Turning to your own domestic agenda, when are you going to be holding presidential and parliamentary elections?

Barzani:  The KRG was for early elections, at least the KDP, the dominant party, was calling for early elections even before the Iraqi [parliamentary elections on May 12] so that the Kurds would come out united and would have much more influence in Baghdad. Now that we are not allowed to be Kurds and need to be Iraqis we need to have full Iraqi rights, full constitutional rights and we needed to establish a united Kurdish bloc. This is what the KDP was pushing for. But unfortunately other parties in Kurdistan, some for political reasons, believing that creating their own coalition would win them more votes, created their own. And the PUK was not ready to take part in elections before the Iraqi ones because of their own internal issues. That is why they didn’t come forward and they were a critical partner. They had to be on board for any decisions we made to hold elections. Now it's too late because the Electoral Board needs to be given advance notice before any elections are held and the deadline has expired. Right now the closest time to our elections would be the first week of September. 

Al-Monitor:  Who is going to run for president? Do any candidates leap to mind? 

Barzani:  The issue of the presidency is negotiable. This parliament is not ready to discuss. We need to elect a new parliament that will have a mandate to legislate the new structure of the government. This includes debating the role of the presidency and whether it's needed at all and if so how the president should be elected — directly by the people or by the parliament.

Al-Monitor:  So can the Kurds forge a common front ahead of the Iraqi parliamentary elections?

Barzani:  I think the Kurdish people expect leadership from the Kurdish parties. If any party tries to hold their own personal interests and agendas above those of the people, they will be held accountable. People expect the parties to set aside their quarrels and to come together. I think there is a real chance this could be achieved. There are ongoing talks and the environment is much more promising for unity than before. Even if they run from different slates or groups, there is a chance that they can form a common front. The most important part of these Iraqi elections will be post-election coalitions that are formed and there will be lots of people knocking on the Kurds’ door.

Al-Monitor:  Finally, the economy, what is going on with the airports and how will you survive with the loss of Kirkuk oil revenue, among other things?

Barzani:  Shutting the airports was an unnecessary sanctioning of the Kurds. It was done out of revenge and spite, I believe. And it's unconstitutional because airports should not be shut down for political reasons. There have been negotiations to reopen Erbil and Sulaimaniyah airports between Baghdad and the KRG. There were talks about sharing data and information, as part of an integrated data system, and we agreed. Then there was the matter of immigration, visas and customs. The KRG agreed to go along with any demands from Baghdad that were constitutionally justified. But when Baghdad ran out of excuses for not reopening the airports, it came up with objections about security saying the airports were a national port of entry that fell under the jurisdiction of the federal authorities. The KRG accepted that the local units currently controlling and securing the airports report directly to the federal authorities. There are no more excuses left to not reopen the airports. It's all political and it's part of the government’s election campaign so an entire nation is being penalized just for the sake of securing its victory at the polls by playing the Iraqi nationalist card. We met recently with Prime Minister Abadi and other officials and he promised that the airports would be open soon. We have heard the word "soon" used many times before. Let's see if they keep their promise.

In terms of revenue sharing from oil, etc., this is all laid out in the Iraqi Constitution and if Baghdad had honored its side of the deal we would not be where we are today. Every month that passes without Kurdish civil servants being paid their salaries by the central government, without the KRG’s share of the national budget being disbursed, the question of where those funds are going becomes ever more pressing. Will that accumulated money be repaid to the Kurds? There is no escrow account. Has anyone asked Baghdad where does that money, which has remain largely unpaid since 2014, go? 

Al-Monitor:  What about the internally displaced Iraqis, is the government not sending any funds to support them? 

Barzani:  No, they are not, and by the way, why are people still fleeing the rest of Iraq and still coming to live in tents, in camps in Iraqi Kurdistan? It's because of the continuing lack of services and security in their hometowns and villages. Because Kurdistan is still the safest, freest and most secure part of Iraq.

[yota691]

 

Talabani reveals the deletion of the names of 50 thousand employees of the biometric system

Iraq News Now

15:56

Last updated

The time now is 03:59 PM

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BAGHDAD / 
Vice President of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KDP), Qubad Talabani, announced on Wednesday the deletion of the names of 50 thousand employees of the biometric system and the start of reform in all sectors in the region. 
Talabani said in a speech on the occasion of the completion of the electronic management system in the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in the provincial government, followed by "Al-Ghad Press" that "the process of reform continues in all sectors in the Kurdistan region."
"The registration of the staff was the first step, not the final goal, but followed by other reform steps," he said. 
"Baghdad has sent several committees to the region, but has not sent any amount so far, so we demand Baghdad to send salaries of employees, especially the salaries of the Ministry of Education and Health, which demanded Baghdad itself."

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Talabani announced the deletion of 50 thousand employees of the biometric system

 

 Twilight News    

 

 2 hours ago

 

 

The deputy head of the Kurdistan Regional Government, announced the removal of the names of 50 thousand employees of the approved biometric system to determine the numbers of government employees. 
Talabani said in a speech thrown in the Ministry of Education Kurdistan, the process of reform is continuing in all sectors in the province of Kurdistan. 
He said registration of staff was the first step, not the ultimate goal, but followed by other reform steps, and 50,000 employees were removed from the biometric list system. Without stating the reasons. 
According to the data registration committee in the biometric system, the number of employees of Kurdistan is one million and 378 thousand people.
According to the data of this committee, the number of retired employees 229 thousand, the number of beneficiaries of the salaries of martyrs and Anfal 91 thousand, the number of beneficiaries of the salaries of people with special needs and covered by social protection 190 thousand, the number of military personnel 292 thousand, the number of municipal employees 476 thousand, KRG is one million and 292 thousand, in addition to 100 thousand students receive educational allowances. 
Kurdistan has relied on the biometric system of government employees to identify people who were illegally receiving salaries or who were receiving more than one salary.

 

Keywords: 

 

http://www.shafaaq.com/ar/Ar_NewsReader/bdcba32d-66d7-4180-a8aa-ebb1c99e73ab

[Butifldrm]

an American senator after a meeting with Barzani: I will see the Kurdistan Region independent soon

 

 Twilight News    

 

 3 hours ago

 

 

The US Congressman, Senator Ted Cruise on Wednesday called on his country to provide full and unconditional support to the Kurdistan Region, expected to be a state independent of Iraq soon.

"I strongly support that the Kurdistan region be free and independent," he told reporters today after a meeting with the Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRG) adviser Massur Barzani.

"The Kurds have always been allies of us and supported America in very difficult times and made sacrifices for that," he said, recalling that the Peshmerga "proved to be courageous and do not fear anything."

"The United States should support the Kurdistan region unconditionally," he said. "I am confident that I will see the Kurdistan region free and independent soon."

The head of the Kurdistan Regional Security Council, Barzani, met earlier in the day with a group of members of the US Congress in Washington.

Barzani met with each of the members: Ted Cruz, Timkin, and Jim Hoff, where they expressed their support for the people of the Kurdistan Region.

Barzani said in a statement today, "We discussed the partnership between the United States and Kurdistan, and the need to implement Baghdad's constitutional obligations to the region."

 

Keywords:

http://www.shafaaq.com/ar/Ar_NewsReader/187e23f1-0fb0-411c-8801-7ca68f29b041

[yota691]

Kurdish delegation arrives in Najaf to meet with Sistani ... Talabani Party warns Abadi from adopting Maliki's policy to win votes

Mar 01, 2018

 

 

Baghdad: «A delegation of political parties in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, to the province of Najaf, to meet with the Shiite cleric, Ali al-Sistani, in addition to participating in a number of seminars and discussions of local organizations. 
According to Kurdish sources, the delegation includes representatives of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, the Movement for Change, the Alliance of Democracy and Justice, and the Kurdistan Islamic Union. 
"The delegation does not represent the Kurdistan Regional Government, but represents the political parties and parties," said the spokesman of the National Union, Saadi Bireh, in a press conference held in Erbil. "The Najaf visit took place between Miri Center for Studies and an organization in Najaf."
"Today (yesterday) after the arrival of a group to Najaf, there will be a meeting between a local organization on good governance, and tomorrow (today) there are 20 personalities will go from the center of Miri and political parties and will start visiting the Imam Ali dish, and then be dialogues through a symposium on governance and crises and sources And how to solve it ». 
He explained «we want to show our refusal to use the pulpit and religious events against the Kurdistan region». 
In parallel, criticized the spokesman for the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan «non-commitment» the Prime Minister of Iraq, Haider Abadi, the commitments made in resolving the differences and outstanding issues with the Kurdistan region. 
He added: «We have a problem with Abadi, because we can not deal with what he says every day, where he makes promises on himself in a day and retreat from the other day».
He considered the Kurdish politician that the aim of the conferences of Abadi «celebrate his heroism on the daisy, and this is not true, the Iraqi people is the one who defeated the organization and not as he thinks». 
He continued: «Abadi practiced psychological war against the people of Kurdistan», noting that «Abadi can not through humiliation and force to win the people of Kurdistan». 
He pointed out that «part of what is going back to the election campaign by Abadi, but he must bear in mind that his predecessor, Maliki tried by forming the Tigris operations win the voice of the Sunni Arabs, but failed to get one of them». 
In the meantime, the Chairman of the Committee on Security and Defense parliamentary governor al-Zamili, the Asayish Kurdish forces to hand over the detainees of the organization «Islamic State» (da'ash) to the federal government forces, expressing concern for their use in operations against the security forces and citizens.
He said in a press statement to him, while inspecting the Saadouniyah district of the province of Hawija, which killed a number of members of the popular mobilization earlier, that «the leadership of the Federal Police began to spread in the areas of Hawija, Riyadh, Rashad and Saadounia to cleanse these areas of sleeper terrorist cells», That it was able to kill two senior leaders calling for those who contributed to the targeting of the forces of popular mobilization », according to the site of the mass« Ahrar »Sadria. 
"A dominant headquarters was established to secure the province of Kirkuk and its environs, led by a brigade of competent officers," he said. 
He continued: «The military units were deployed in order to hold the contract in these areas to pursue the rest of the gangs and urged the fugitive». 
He called for "the holding of free zones between the provinces of Erbil and Sulaymaniyah and other areas adjacent to the areas where the law was imposed," stressing the importance of not allowing the exploitation of those lands to provide support to terrorists.
He called for "handing over to the federal government five thousand Daqshi who had previously surrendered themselves to the Peshmerga forces and now in the Asayish prisons, to be reassured that the status and fate of these terrorists is controlled." He expressed his fear of "using those terrorists in operations against security forces and citizens In the province of Kirkuk and the province of Tuzkurmatu and the city of Mosul ».

 

 

[yota691]

Abadi agrees to pay late salaries to employees in the province

 

 Twilight News    
 3 hours ago

The Secretary of the Iraqi parliament member Amin Bakr on Wednesday, obtained the approval of the Prime Minister to pay the salaries of the employees of the Directorate General of Nationality and Passports in the region. 
"The prime minister agreed to pay the late salaries of the staff of the General Directorate of Nationality and Passports in the region for the months of October, November and December 2017," Bakr, a Kurd deputy, said in a statement. 
He added that "efforts are continuing to launch the salaries of all segments of the region, calling on the Federal Prime Minister Haider Abadi to speed up the release of salaries of officials of the ministries of health and education in the region in fulfillment of promises made by the disbursement of those salaries.

Keywords: 

[yota691]

Kurdistan oil is close to returning to Iraqi sovereignty

- 44 Minutes Ago

 

 14

Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi's recent remarks clearly indicated that Iraqi oil exports are close to returning to the federal government, although he did not mention this directly.

This reading is supported by the sudden increase in crude oil exports through the pipeline of the region after the sharp drop in supplies to the Turkish ports, since the referendum on the independence of the region on 25 September last.

Abadi said in his weekly press conference on Tuesday that his government had agreed with the Kurdish authorities to resume Kirkuk oil exports through the pipeline to the Turkish port of Ceyhan soon, but did not specify a time frame for the resumption of exports.

He stressed that "there is an agreement with the Kurdish side to start exporting oil" and that Baghdad and Erbil agreed to "deal with the differences later." Discussions were under way with the Kurds and the Turkish government, he said.

Abadi pointed out the resumption of export of oil produced from the fields of Kirkuk province through the pipeline in the pipeline supply numbers to the Turkish port of Ceyhan.

The Reuters news agency attributed yesterday to a source of navigation confirmed early that crude oil flows through the main pipeline connecting from Kurdistan to Turkey increased during the past days by about 40 thousand barrels per day to reach about 360 thousand barrels per day in the recent period.

And entered the Kurdistan Regional Government in financial crises suffocating after the referendum because of the actions taken by Baghdad against it and the position of pro-Baghdad by Turkey, through which the region's oil exports.

Arbil has been in constant conflict with Baghdad for managing the region's oil exports for more than seven years. Oil has been on its own account since mid-2014, when Dahedish controlled one-third of the country.

Arbil rushed to control the fields of the province of Kirkuk and has exported oil for its own account for more than 3 years, and through hidden ways to escape the claims of Baghdad to the world after buying oil without the consent of the federal government.

The situation of the Erbil government turned upside down after the referendum last September and can no longer sell oil because of Turkey's position opposed to the ambitions of the region and refused to allow the export of oil without the consent of Baghdad.

As a result, the KRG entered into financial crises due to the absence of financial returns and the suspension of salaries by Baghdad, as well as the continued ban on direct international flights to Erbil and Sulaymaniyah airports and the closure of most border posts.

It seems that these crises forced Erbil to return to Baghdad and hand over its oil, which is no longer able to export to the Iraqi administration as a first step to resolve the issues of salaries and the closure of airports and border crossings.

The signals issued yesterday by Abadi and the high oil supplies confirm a major qualitative coup and the end of Erbil's attempts to extract oil exports from the sovereignty of the federal government.

Salam Sarhan

Arabic newspaper

[yota691]

Hakim and Saleh discuss resolving problems between Baghdad and Erbil

02/3/2018 12:00 am  Called for the formation of a national majority in the next phase  Baghdad / morning  urged the President of the National Alliance, Mr. Ammar al-Hakim, to resolve the outstanding problems between Baghdad and Erbil in accordance with the Constitution and the law, stressing the need to form a national majority in the next phase.  A statement from the Office of the President of the coalition, received by «morning», that «Hakim received, the President of the Alliance of Democracy, Barham Saleh, and during the meeting discussed the latest political situation in the country and the crisis between Baghdad and Erbil, as well as to review the preparation for the next election.  He called the president of the coalition, to «resolve the outstanding problems between Baghdad and Erbil in accordance with the Constitution and the law».  And al-Hakim, that «all crises are solvable if there is a solution management and culture of compromise and convergence in the middle». He stressed Hakim, the «importance of competition according to electoral programs away from the language of political dichotomy, pointing to the need to form a national majority in the next phase, in the presence of basic components according to the equation of loyalty and opposition».

[yota691]

Kurdish delegation arrives in Najaf to ask the problems between Arbil and Baghdad to the reference

19:10 - 01/03/2018

 

  

Information / Private ..

The Kurdish delegation, composed of Kurdish parties, announced on Thursday that it had arrived in the province of Najaf to meet with a number of religious references and public figures in the province to present the outstanding problems between Baghdad and Arbil.

A member of the delegation MP from the Kurdistan Alliance Muthana Secretary of the "information" that "the delegation will discuss the file of outstanding problems between Erbil and Baghdad and the successor of the referendum and find ways to resolve the various problems."

He pointed out that "the delegation started his tour with the meeting of the religious authority Bashir Najafi and presented the outstanding problems."

The Lebanese newspaper Al-Ikhbar announced on Tuesday the intention of a Kurdish delegation to visit Najaf and meet with reference to intervene and resolve differences between the center and the region.

[yota691]

Three options for the Kurdish deputies against the differences between Baghdad and Erbil

© AP Photo / Hadi Mizban

 

11:57 02.03.2018(Updated 12:04 02.03.2018)

The leader of the Kurdistan Alliance in the Iraqi parliament, MP Muhsin al-Saadoun, in a special statement to the correspondent "Sputnik" in Iraq, on Friday, March 2, the three options in front of the coalition deputies in the event of serious differences between Baghdad and Erbil.

The Saadoun, in case you passed the federal budget without meeting the demands of the Kurdistan Alliance on the share of the Kurdistan region , in addition to the extension of the air embargo on the airports of the region, the coalition will have open prospects.

 

 

He added Saadoun, saying: "As for the budget of the Kurdistan region and airports, not related to one party, but the people of the among the blocs to decide: , Or go to the Federal Court, or withdraw from the political process.region, and the Kurdish blocs in Baghdad, are obliged to defend the rights of the people of the region, and must be a decision

He concluded MP from the Kurdistan Alliance, Chairman of the parliamentary legal committee, noting that the decision of the deputies of the Kurdish blocs, should be a joint and not a decision of a particular party because it concerns the dignity of the citizens of the region on the budget and air embargo on airports Erbil and Sulaymaniyah.

The Iraqi government spokesman, Saad al-Hadithi, in an exclusive to our correspondent, earlier in the Wednesday, February 28 last, solved important problems with the Kurdistan region, revealing a tour of the joint committees to resolve a final file on the air embargo to be lifted soon.

 

 

Al-Hadithi stressed that the decision when issued by the Council of Ministers on the imposition of the air embargo, determined that this ban will be lifted after the response of the Kurdistan Regional Government to impose federal authority at the two airports, and therefore the timing of the time, if any, is not important.

Al-Hadithi told Sputnik : "If an agreement is reached between the two governments on the subject of these airports, Erbil and Sulaymaniyah airports, to the authority and supervision of the federal government, then the ban and suspension and the return of external flights that were immediately before the suspension will be canceled."

Al-Hadithi revealed that the specialized committees that conducted during the previous period many meetings between the federal government and the Kurdistan region, this file "related to the air embargo," to solve two problems of three problems on the two airports.

 

 

The number of modern that the first problem that has been solved, is related to customs at the airports of the Territory, and make them under the supervision and subjection of the federal government.

The second problem, which has been resolved, is related to passports and the passage of passengers through the two airports, and to be subject to federal employees from the Government.

"What we have left is only the aspect of the security authority - the security administration at the airports, to whom do you return?" It is the third problem in the file that has not yet been resolved.

Al-Hadithi said that the specialized committees will work during the coming period to reach a solution to the third problem. Therefore, when the decision is reached, the suspension and the return of the flights that preceded the imposition of the air embargo on the Kurdistan region will be lifted.

 

 

"We are working on resolving the matter soon, and immediately after we reach a solution, the air embargo will be lifted, so the timing of the time has no value in practical terms, and the matter is linked to resolving the dispute and reaching agreement," he said. So soon. "

The spokesman for the Kurdistan Regional Government, Sven Dzie, in an exclusive to our correspondent, on 15 February last, that the region met the conditions of the federal government regarding the management of airports, and is expected to lift the air embargo soon.

"Until now there has been no approval by the federal government to lift the air embargo on the Kurdistan region and reopen Erbil and Sulaymaniyah airports. There are negotiations with Baghdad, but there is no conference to open the two airports.

 

 

He added that the federal government had a number of points in the negotiations, first and foremost that the administration of airports Erbil and Sulaymaniyah, control and control of the Civil Aviation Authority, declaring that the Government of the Territory had no objection to it.

Dazi said: "The Civil Aviation Authority is the only one that controls the airports in all parts of Iraq and there is no objection by the Government of the Territory to take over the administration of airports Erbil and Sulaymaniyah, but despite this position there was no development on the subject with the Center" .

On September 29, 2017, the Information Office of the Iraqi Prime Minister, Haider al-Abadi, confirmed that control of the airports and ports of the Kurdistan region, to prevent corruption and smuggling and not to starve the Kurdish people.

[yota691]

Baghdad conditions delay the opening of the Kirkuk - Erbil

Indefinitely ...

 

 

 02/03/2018 - 14:26

 

 

 

Despite reports that the Kirkuk-Erbil road reopened on Friday, new conditions set by the Iraqi government have again postponed the opening of the road.

A Kurdish security source said today that the date of re-opening the Kirkuk-Erbil road has been postponed indefinitely after the Iraqi authorities put "impossible conditions" on the strategic road.

The source pointed out that the Iraqi authorities have developed «three difficult conditions» in return for reopening the road linking Erbil to Kirkuk.

 Although he described those conditions as "impotent", he refused to delve into the details.

This is the third time that there is an unofficial news about the reopening of the main road linking the capital of the Kurdistan Region in the city of Kirkuk, but it is still closed so far.

The Iraqi government has closed the main road between Arbil and Kirkuk and Makhmour, after the events of 16 October last.

[yota691]

Kurdistan Regional Government confirms its readiness to export Kirkuk oil through the pipelines of the region

Date Posted       02/03/2018 01:26 PM

The Kurdistan Regional Government confirmed its readiness to export Kirkuk oil through the pipelines of the region. The spokesman for the Kurdistan Regional Government, Sven Dzi, said in press statements that the region presented this proposal to Baghdad, which confirmed it in turn, considering it a positive step forward in the oil file. Dzei pointed out that there is no solid agreement on the proposal until now, expressing the hope that the agreement will be well. In turn, a member of the Committee on oil and energy parliamentary Zaher Abadi said that reaching an agreement will protect the oil of Kirkuk from theft using tanks, stressing that this step is in the interest of Iraq and the people of Kurdistan.

[yota691]

Regional Government officially opens Erbil - Kirkuk

 

 Twilight News    

 3 hours ago

The leader of the Peshmerga forces in the western axis of Kirkuk Kamal Karkuki on Friday announced the opening of the main road Erbil - Kirkuk, which was closed after the events of 16 October.

The Peshmerga forces, after the events of October, have faced several attacks by Iraqi forces and the popular crowd from the area of "Berdy" so-called "Elton bridge", which is located on the main road link between Arbil and Kirkuk.

He said in a statement to reporters today from the place of control President, that by order of the President of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Nechirvan Barzani, decided today to reopen the road to Erbil - Kirkuk President, referring to the exclusion of trucks load from entering for the presence of some technical matters that will be addressed soon.

"We have lost the pride of the Peshmerga forces free heroes, but at the same time we confronted the occupiers and prevented them from reaching the borders of Erbil," adding that the main roads in the province of Kurdistan will be all under the control of the Peshmerga forces.

"With a sincere intention, we decided to re-open the road again to all the constituents of the Iraqi people and they are free in spirit and coming from it whenever they want and when they want," he said.

The commander in the Peshmerga said that "the situation in occupied Kirkuk will not remain on what it is, and will end either by dialogue, or in other ways."

 

Keywords: 

[yota691]

Kurdish official: Baghdad committees completed the audit of salaries of the region by 96%

Editorial Date: 2018/3/2 16:24 • 287 times prescribed

(Baghdad: Al-Furat News) The spokesman of the Ministry of Health in the Kurdistan region, Khalis Qader, on Friday, cutting committees sent by the federal government to the region a significant step in resolving the outstanding issues between the parties.

Qader said in a press statement that "the competent committees of the federal government, which is working to audit the salaries of employees of the Kurdistan region, so far completed more than 96% of the instructions entrusted to it." 
He added that "the committees raised more than two positive reports, to the federal government, to pay the salaries of employees of the Kurdistan region, and the basis of the staff of health and education." 
"According to the reports of the committees, it told the federal government, the matching checks with the existing explanations," adding that "but there is no response by the federal government to the reports of its committees to the territory." 
The spokesman of the Ministry of Health in the Kurdistan region, revealed on February 5 that "
"We are waiting for the decision to pay salaries for the month of January this year, by the head of the federal government, Haider Abadi." 
He hinted that the health of Kurdistan demanded that the federal government to pay the salaries of its employees for the month of December 2017, and be spent within the decision on salaries last January, "adding," But we do not know if the December dues or not. "

[yota691]

Friday, March 2, 2018 01:43 PM

| Number of readings:

The resumption of salaries of employees of the Kurdistan region

BAGHDAD / An official source from the Kurdistan region, Friday, that the resumption of the payment of salaries of the region's employees starting next week, the distribution of salaries of retirees and 108 billion dinars.

An official source in the Ministry of Finance for "appointed Iraq News" that "the ministry has paid the salaries of 70 and 80 forces of the Peshmerga in the past," explaining that "the salaries of the Peshmerga other will be disbursed next week as the salaries of retirees for the month of last 11."

He added that "the salaries of retirees amounted to 108 billion dinars, including retired military and civilian, and about 244 thousand retirees."

[yota691]

 

Member of parliamentary power: The government must bear the debts of the oil region if it wants to control the fields

12:00

Last updated

The time now is 12:20 PM

610

Watch

 

 

 

BAGHDAD / Tomorrow Press: 
A member of the Oil and Energy Committee, Jamal Mohammed, said on Sunday that the payment of the region 's oil debt in the event of its desire to return oil region under the control of the Baghdad federal government. 
"The federal government to pay the debts of the region in the event of its desire to return the oil of the province under the control of Baghdad," he said, pointing out that "the problem between the federal government and the provincial government concerns the debts of the region for extractive companies."

"The debts of the region to extractive foreign companies and oil-producing companies in Kurdistan should be resolved between the government of the center in Baghdad and the region," he said, adding that "the issue of oil must be agreed between the two parties within a single file."

"The problem lies in the difference between the quality of contracts between the two central governments in Baghdad, which have service contracts, and the government of the province, which has partnership contracts." 
"Mohammed pointed out that" the oil fields in the region has gone through the stages of exploration and extraction and some of those financial costs can not be held by the territorial government. " 
"The Baghdad government wants to control all the oil extracted from the region and thus must solve the problem of debt payment," he said, adding that "Baghdad should not bear these consequences for the region only, being large debts and huge amounts can not region Pay it ".

"The two governments should sit at one table and reach an agreement with all transparency and openness."

[yota691]

Newspaper: a hidden conflict between Mesurur Barzani and the head of the provincial government?

04/03/2018

 

 

 

(Independent) ... The Bahraini newspaper Akhbar Al Khaleej on Sunday revealed a conflict between the son of Massoud Barzani and his nephew, while warned of the dismantling of the ruling family in Kurdistan.

The newspaper quoted political observers in the region as saying that "the region is experiencing a state of boiling and the hidden conflict between the son of Barzani, who is the security adviser and responsible for the Asayish and nephew, who is the prime minister in Kurdistan."

According to Kurdish sources, Marzur Barzani, the son of the outgoing Kurdish region president, controls a large financial and security system. He is responsible for family funds and assets deposited in European and Turkish banks, as well as his control of the security services in the region, possession of important space, newspapers, magazines and large websites.

In contrast, Najafan Idris Barzani nephew of the President of the Territory also owns a space, which is the most important in Kurdistan as well as newspapers and cultural institutions, and there is a clear race between the two men to market their activities through the media, according to the newspaper.

In addition to the media institutions, both Mesroor and Najafan control the education in the region, where Najirvan owns the University of Kurdistan in Arbil and has the pleasure of the American University in Dohuk, the two most important educational institutions in the region.

Both Najirvan and Mazur attended the Security Conference held in Munich on 28 February, reflecting the existence of two heads governing the Kurdish region. According to the security map, Barzani delighted to control the al-Asayish, counter-terrorism, Zayfani and several priority forces of the Kurdistan Democratic Party Najirfan has the upper hand over a number of military forces in the Peshmerga brigades through his brother Rowan Idris Barzani, who occupies an important position in the leadership of the Peshmerga forces.

Observers say that "the continuation of the conflict between the son of Barzani and his nephew may end the weakening of the family and disbanded and opened the way to the forces of liberal political rising to extend its control over the capabilities of the Kurdish region."

Massoud Barzani has dominated the KDP presidency since 1979 after his father, Mustafa Barzani, and then his older brother Idris, who ran the negotiations on the Kurdish side with the Ba'th government to achieve a level of understanding between Arbil and Baghdad.

[mr.unlikely]

They gots to go. There is your problem right there. Infighting amongst the family ruling party. I hope this thing gets blown wide open and we have a scenario like in Saudi Arabia where the young prince collects up the family members and incarcerates them for the continued corruption that has plagued the country for so long. These guys own the universities and then newspapers? Holy crap!! No conflict of interest there! Ya right? We'll be waiting with baited breath to see what happens next week on Iraqi Days of our lives.

[yota691]

Baghdad to Take Over KRG Borders This Week

 

 

 BasNews

 04/03/2018 - 19:58

 

 

 

ERBIL - The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is said to be handing over the administration of its international border crossings to the Iraqi counterparts on Monday, 5th March.

The decision comes after months of tensions between Erbil and Baghdad resulted from Iraqi government’s punitive actions against the Kurdistan Region for the independence referendum held last September.

Mohammed Shiwaili, head of the press department at Iraq’s general directorate of border crossings, confirmed the report at a press conference, saying that the Iraqi Interior Minister Qasim al-A’raji would announce the decision on Monday.

Meanwhile, KRG's Council of Ministers on Sunday reiterated that the region will stay committed to resolving its issues with the federal government in accordance with the Iraqi Constitution despite all the disputes between the sides.

[yota691]

04-03-2018 04:47 PM

Abadi agrees to send a financial advance to pay the salaries of the employees of the region

 

 

 

The Kurdistan Regional Government President Najirvan Barzani, on Sunday, the approval of Prime Minister Haider Abadi to send a financial advance to pay the salaries of regional staff. 

Barzani said in a press conference that 'Prime Minister Haider Abadi agreed in principle to our proposal to send a financial advance to pay the salaries of employees of Kurdistan until the completion of the audit.' 

Barzani added that this approval 'has not yet turned into a practical agreement'. 

For his part, Barzani revealed a proposal made by Erbil to Baghdad, 'to export oil fields of Havana and Bay Hassan in Kirkuk through the oil pipeline in the Kurdistan region'.

[yota691]

Baghdad agrees to send a financial advance to pay the salaries of employees of the Kurdistan region

 

money and business Economy News Baghdad: The President of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Najirvan Barzani, on Sunday, the approval of Prime Minister Haider Abadi to send a financial advance to pay the salaries of regional staff . Barzani told a news conference, "Economy News," that "Prime Minister Haider Abadi agreed in principle to our proposal to send a financial advance to pay the salaries of employees of Kurdistan until the completion of the audit ." Barzani added that this approval has not yet become a practical agreement . Barzani revealed a proposal made by Erbil to Baghdad to export the oil fields of Havana and Bay Hassan in Kirkuk through the oil pipeline in the Kurdistan region. Views 633   Date Added 03/04/2018