Guest views are now limited to 12 pages. If you get an "Error" message, just sign in! If you need to create an account, click here.

Jump to content
  • CRYPTO REWARDS!

    Full endorsement on this opportunity - but it's limited, so get in while you can!

Barzani confirms the full commitment to work with Abdul Mahdi to resolve the outstanding issues


yota691
 Share

Recommended Posts

Update: KDP, PUK say they will back candidate for Kirkuk governor

         
 
SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region — The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) said on Monday they have agreed with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) to back a candidate to become the next governor of Kirkuk. However, neither side has revealed the candidate's name.

Delegations from the two largest parties in the Kurdistan Region met in Sulaimani on Monday and then held a press conference.

"The KDP and PUK will back a candidate approved by both parties," said Dishad Shahab of the KDP. 

"Our positions are very close to each other," he added.

A governor backed by the KDP and PUK would expedite and streamline Kurdish politics in Kirkuk, Baghdad, and Erbil.

"We are closer than ever to take practical steps to normalize the situation of Kirkuk," Shahab added.

Oil-rich Kirkuk has many ethno-religious components; in last year's Iraqi parliamentary election Kurds won six seats, Arabs three, and Turkmen three, while Christians took their minority quota seat.

"We will try our best to pick a person approved by all the communities of Kirkuk," Shahab said. "The governor of Kirkuk should represent Kurds, Arabs, Turkmen, and other communities.

PUK Spokesperson Latif Sheikh Omar was also positive following talks on Monday.

"We have started preparations to the question of Kirkuk and should reassure the people of Kurdistan that all the problems will be resolved," he said.

He encouraged the government in Erbil to be formed in a timely manner.

"We all should hurry forming the new Kurdistan Regional Government cabinet and are expressing our dedication as a partner to take part in the future cabinet. We stressed that the new cabinet should be formed in a short period of time," he said.

Cabinet talks have now dragged since the Kurdistan Region’s parliamentary election on September 30, primarily because of disagreements between the ruling KDP and the PUK over the problem of Kirkuk. The PUK wants to resolve the problem of Kirkuk before joining the new KRG cabinet.

"Before we hold the meeting, we informed the PUK that we should discuss the bulk of Kirkuk province’s problems — and the post of the governor is part of the talks," a KDP leader told Rudaw.

The KDP delegation was led by Mahmood Mohammed, the party’s spokesperson. Hakim Qadir, a senior politburo member, headed the PUK group.
 

“Whenever the Kurdistan Democratic Party approves the name of one of the candidates the PUK has proposed for the post of Kirkuk governor and whenever the Kirkuk Provincial Council meets on this matter, we will submit names of our candidates for government positions to Masrour Barzani within 48 hours,” PUK leadership member Farid Asasar told Rudaw this week, referring to new Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Barzani. 

 

Kirkuk, according to Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution, has a disputed status and is claimed by Erbil and Baghdad. It has been under the control of the latter since the events of October 2017. It had a Kurdish governor, Najmaldin Karim, who was sacked by the previous Iraqi government, and replaced by acting Governor Rakan Saeed al-Jabouri, an Arab. 

 

Karim, who has been on the fringes of the political scene in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region over the past two years, told Voice of America in an interview published on Monday that Kirkuk "should not impede the establishment of a strong government in Kurdistan." 


The Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga defended much of the province from repeated Islamic State (ISIS) attacks after Iraqi forces fled the jihadists’ initial offensive in 2014.
 

A PUK leadership council member, speaking to Rudaw on Monday on the condition of anonymity, said his party and the KDP are on the verge of reaching an agreement, as both sides are comprising in order to "show more leniency.”


The Kurdistan Region has been run by a caretaker government since the election. Erbil urgently needs a new cabinet to address relations with Baghdad, resolve outstanding issues on oil sales, agree its share of the federal budget, and solve territorial disputes.
 

With Masrour Barzani tasked to form a new government as KRG prime minister designate, formation has been delayed until parliamentarians reconvene from their 15-day summer recess. A KDP-PUK deal for Kirkuk could allow the MPs to move more swiftly.


So far, only one ministerial post has been announced. A candidate from the Kurdistan Socialist Democratic Party (KSDP) is expected to take charge of the Ministry of Martyrs and Anfal Affairs. 

Rebwar Talabani acquitted of 6-month jail sentence
 

On Sunday, the Iraqi Federal Court acquitted acting head of the Kirkuk Provincial Council Rebwar Talabani, annulling a six-month prison sentence, his brother Bakhtiyar Talabani announced in a Facebook post. 


The sentence against Talabani was handed down by a Baghdad court on December 26. Acting Governor Jabouri had filed the lawsuit against Talabani. It alleged that he spent millions of Iraqi dinars illegally.

The Kirkuk Provincial Council has constitutional authority to appoint governors. The Brotherhood List holds the majority of seats on the council and is comprised of KDP, PUK, and Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU). 
 

Update: 2:03 p.m.

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kurdistan’s KDP, PUK to meet and discuss Kirkuk situation, new governor

Sangar Ali Sangar Ali |
7 hours ago
 

https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/e2c1bb88-8a33-483c-a604-71e22aaa8a3a

 

Kurdistan’s KDP, PUK to meet and discuss Kirkuk situation, new governor
People fleeing from Kirkuk to Erbil following the attack by Iraqi forces and Shia militias on the province, Oct. 16, 2017. (Photo: Reuters/Ako Rasheed)
 
Kurdistan Iraq Kirkuk KDP PUK 
A+AA-

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Delegates from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) will meet on Monday to discuss the situation in the disputed province of Kirkuk and agree on a candidate for the governorship of Kirkuk, according to a party source.

The meeting comes as the new Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) cabinet is expected to be formed before June 12.

“The meeting between the two parties will take place in Sulaimani, where both parties will discuss normalizing the situation in Kirkuk and agree on a candidate for the post of the province’s governorship,” a source from the PUK told Kurdistan 24.

The KDP delegation will be headed by the party’s spokesperson, Mahmoud Mohammed, while the PUK’s delegates will be led by Hakim Qadir Hamajan, a member of the party’s politburo, the source added.

The situation in Kirkuk has been a hot button issue, with security deteriorating considerably after the military takeover by Iraqi forces and Shia militias in the wake of the Kurdistan Region’s referendum on independence in late 2017.

Since then, Kirkuk has been a point of contention between the two leading parties, notably after a group of leaders within the PUK were accused of secretly cooperating with Iraqi forces and the militias in “handing over the province.”

The Oct. 16, 2017 attack led to the removal of the hugely popular governor, Najmaldin Karim, the last elected governor of Kirkuk. The head of the Kirkuk Provincial Council (KPC), Rebwar Talabani, along with half of KPC members, fled to the autonomous Kurdistan Region.

Iraqi courts later issued an arrest warrant for Talabani and sentenced him to six months in prison in absentia. However, this June, Iraqi courts canceled the arrest warrant and on Sunday, reversed the ruling against Talabani, an indication of improving ties between Erbil and Baghdad in an attempt to normalize the situation in the oil-rich province.

Both the KDP and the PUK signed an agreement earlier this year to elect a governor in Kirkuk as part of the larger framework for the formation of the new KRG cabinet.

The PUK over the past year has presented several candidates to the post to the KDP for approval, but the top Kurdish party has repeatedly rejected them, stating the ideal candidate should “not be among or close to the PUK leaders who were involved in treason on Oct. 16.”

The KDP, which is the largest Kurdish party with 45 seats in the Kurdistan Parliament and 25 in the Iraqi one, over the past few months has been engaged in a dialogue with the new Iraqi federal government headed by Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi regarding the normalization of the situation in Kirkuk.

Editing by Nadia Riva 

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Part of Federal Police Withdraws from Kirkuk: Report

 
BasNews 03/07/2019 - 00:15 Published in Iraq
Part of Federal Police Withdraws from Kirkuk: Report

http://www.basnews.com/index.php/en/news/iraq/531119

 

ERBIL - The Federal Police has begun to withdraw part of its forces from the disputed Kurdish province of Kirkuk, a report said on Tuesday.

Kurdistan 24 cited its correspondent as saying that the Brigade 5 from the federal police has started to withdraw from the southern parts of Kirkuk, and it will be replaced by Brigade 15 from the Iraqi army.

The report added that the federal police is expected to fully withdraw from Kirkuk in the upcoming days.

The national army will replace all the units current filled by the federal police.

  • Upvote 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Iraq committed to sending Kurdistan Region’s salaries: Finance Minister Hussein

         
Iraq committed to sending Kurdistan Region’s salaries: Finance Minister Hussein
Iraqi Finance Minister Fuad Hussein speaks during an exclusive interview with Rudaw on July 1, 2019, in Baghdad, Iraq. Photo: Rudaw video
Iraq’s PM Adil Abdul-Mahdi is facing mounting pressure from Shiite MPs, especially from rival politicians loyal to previous PM Haider al-Abadi, to cut Kurdistan Region’s share of the budget. (http://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/26062019) The issue has cast a shadow over the future of Iraqi-Kurdistan Region relations with parties insisting that Erbil must handover 250,000 barrels of oil per month.

This is likely to worry people in the Kurdistan Region who already suffered under a similar policy from 2014-2018 that resulted in the cutting of the Region’s share of the budget, namely due to disputes with the federal government over the Kurdistan Region’s independent oil exports.

Fuad Hussein, the Iraqi Minister of Finance who was appointed by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), spoke to Rudaw on July 1, 2019. He has sought to assure employees again that his government will keep sending salaries to the Kurdistan Region. 

Efforts have been underway for him to be summoned before parliament — reminiscent of when former Finance Minister Hoshyar Zebari, also from the KDP, was later sacked in a no-vote confidence vote by the parliament. Hussein clarified that the oil issue is the main factor why some MPs want to summon him. Hussein says he would be “proud” to appear before parliament.


Halkawt Aziz, Rudaw: Where is the question of the salaries of Kurdistan Region standing? Is there a guarantee that there won’t be issues on it anymore?

Fuad Hussein: The salaries are part of the budget law. As a part of the law, the federal government is committed to this law, and the salaries will continue and there are no problems over it. Whatever [issues] there are, are over the oil. In the law, it is stipulated that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) needs to handover 250,000 barrels of oil to the federal government. There are questions concerning this there and there. I am very hopeful that in the near future negotiations could start between the federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government.

When will the negotiations start? Do you think a new agreement over these 250,000 barrels of oil could be achieved?

I don’t know about the time, but committees have been formed. The names of those who are to be part of the committees have also been discussed. In the coming days, a time has to be set for either a federal government committee to visit Erbil or the Regional government visit Baghdad.  As for agreement, there won’t be one [instantly]. Negotiations will start, and I don’t know whether the results of the negotiations will have an agreement or not.

In the Iraqi parliament, a number of MPs have collected signatures to summon you to the parliament. They complain that you aren’t available and don’t respond to them. What is the reason?

I would like to explicate this. The one who has done this [gathered signatures to summon me to the parliament] was with me until 1 p.m. in a meeting. In the meeting, he praised the Kurdistan Region and me. Then, I left for my work and had other meetings. They told me that he was there to meet me. He hadn’t booked an appointment with me, and I couldn’t have left my meeting for him. This is simply not possible. 

It is apparent that he was spited by that, hence went to collect signatures. There are a variety of accusations. It is a weird reaction, but a normal one. Some of those who signed have asked to meet me. Some others were with me last night and said they didn’t know that this was the reason [for my summoning]. Some of them were told they would host me, not question me. These things do happen in the parliament.

Are there fears that the scenario of the past, in which ministers were sacked in the parliament, could be repeated in a vote of no confidence?
 
Questioning and hosting [a minister] in parliamentary work is normal and part of parliament’s work. It is also part of a minister’s work to go to the parliament and answer questions. However, if I am questioned over implementing [the budget] law, then I would be proud.

Do you have preparations before the 2020 budget bill? Do you expect the Kurdistan Region’s share and salaries to be instilled in the budget of 2020 like 2019?

There was a meeting, which that friend [who collected signatures to summon me to the parliament] was present. That discussed preparations for next year’s budget. We have had 11 meetings so far and they will continue. We have meetings every week in which we meet representatives from every ministry. [The Kurdistan] Region’s representative is also included. We discuss next year’s budget and the budget strategy of future years. As for the salaries and budget share of the Region, it is not something that we [implicitly] discuss. Why should that even be a topic of discussion?
Some MPs say the share will be cut and they would file lawsuits in court.
 

Yes, lawsuits and speaking are normal. I don’t know. Some MPs seem to be only focusing on this matter. I say some. Most of the MPs know what their duty is and act responsibly. But some are obsesses with it. This is unfortunate. When a budget is written down, part of it is the salary portion. The salary payments includes those of the Kurdistan Region. You can’t just not pay the salaries.  

 

 

  • Like 1
  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

KDP, PUK agree on candidate for Kirkuk governor: officials

         
KDP, PUK agree on candidate for Kirkuk governor: officials
PUK sources told Rudaw the joint KDP-PUK candidate for Kurkuk governor will soon be named as Tayb Jabar, a former deputy KRG minister for housing and construction. Photo: PUK Media
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – After months of party wrangling which has stalled the creation of a new government in Erbil, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) have finally agreed on a single joint candidate for the post of Kirkuk governor.

“Engineer Tayb Jabar is the strongest candidate who has the chance to assume the post of governor and the KDP has already agreed on him,” a PUK official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Rudaw.

Tayb, 65, was born in the village of Tapalu in Qarahassan village. An engineer by trade, he is a former deputy minister for Housing and Construction in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). He is also a published poet. 

Rawand Mala Mahmood, the deputy head of the PUK office in Kirkuk, told Rudaw on Wednesday the parties will formally announce their candidate by Sunday. 

PUK media, citing official PUK sources, also reported Tayb will be the joint candidate of the KDP, PUK, and the Brotherhood List of the Kirkuk Provincial Council.

After months of wrangling, the KDP and PUK announced on Monday they had agreed to back a single candidate to become the next governor of Kirkuk. However, neither side revealed the candidate’s name at the time.

Cabinet talks had been dragging on for months since the Kurdistan Region’s parliamentary election on September 30, primarily because of disagreements between the ruling KDP and the PUK over the problem of Kirkuk. The PUK wanted to resolve the problem of Kirkuk before joining the new KRG cabinet.

Oil-rich Kirkuk has many ethno-religious components. In last year’s Iraqi parliamentary election, Kurds won six seats, Arabs three, and Turkmen three, while Christians took their single minority quota seat.

Under Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution, Kirkuk has a special disputed status, claimed by both the Kurdistan Region and the federal government in Baghdad. It has been under the control of the latter since the events of October 2017, when federal troops and Hashd al-Shaabi paramilitias seized it from the Kurdish Peshmerga. 

The province had a Kurdish governor, Najmaldin Karim, who was sacked by the Iraqi government and replaced by his Arab deputy, acting governor Rakan Saeed al-Jabouri.

This is a developing story...

 

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kanani: political blocs stressed the need for the region's commitment to agreements with Baghdad

 03/07/2019 09:31 PM | Number of readings: 194
Kanani: political blocs stressed the need for the region's commitment to agreements with Baghdad

Al-Ahed News - Baghdad

MP on the Sadikun parliamentary bloc Ahmed Kanani, on Wednesday, the need to force the federal government of the Kurdistan region to commit to hand over oil imports of 250 thousand barrels .

"There is no movement to take punitive measures against the Kurdistan region, as far as the government is obliged to oblige Kurdistan to implement the agreements between Baghdad and Erbil on the delivery of oil imports amounting to 250 thousand barrels," Kanani said in an interview with The Associated Press.

He added that "this is through the central government to take the necessary measures to force the region to commit," stressing that "we are all political blocs have spoken in this and emphasize the need for the region's commitment to its agreements with Baghdad."

  • Upvote 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 
 
 2019/07/03 16:29:34
 

The International Postal Union has agreed to send mail from the region to all countries of the world and vice versa, the Ministry of Transport and Communications in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) said on Wednesday. 
The ministry spokesman, Amid Mohammed, said in a press statement that the sending of mail from the region to the world was suspended, because of the political situation between Arbil and Baghdad, but several months ago, at the request of the ministry, the Iraqi government asked the International Postal Union to allow the sending of mail from the region to the world On the contrary, the Federation has expressed its agreement with the said request. 
He pointed out that the citizens of the region now can send their mail through the Postal Directorate of the Ministry of Transport and Communications in the territorial government to any country they wish.

  • Upvote 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kurdistan Region marks uptick in foreign business registration

By Rawa Abdulla 1 hour ago 
109Views
Kurdistan Region marks uptick in foreign business registration
People tour an Iranian trade exhibition in Erbil, Kurdistan Region, on June 15, 2019. Photo: Mohammed Shwani | Rudaw

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The number of foreign businesses registering in Erbil for 2019 has already surpassed the number that registered all of last year as the economic, political and security situation improves in the Kurdistan Region.

 

Better security following the Islamic State's defeat and less regulation caused the increase, according to one Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) official.

 

"Improvement of security and economic conditions in the Kurdistan Region, its stability and the reduction of bureaucratic measures in registering companies were the reasons why foreign companies turned to the Kurdistan Region again," KRG Department for Company Registration head Pishtiwan Warti told Rudaw this week.

 

Some 28 foreign companies registered in 2018 to conduct business in Erbil. In the first six months of 2019, 33 companies have already registered, Warti revealed. 

 

This brings the total of foreign companies registered in the entire Kurdistan Region 3,252, according to Department for Company Registration figures. A majority 2,371 of these companies are in the Kurdistan Region capital of Erbil. 

 

The Kurdistan Region is making a push to improve business ties with the outside world

 

On June 30, Turkish business delegates arrived in Erbil for a summit aimed at attracting new investors. Some business people in Kurdistan are optimistic that Turkish companies, which have long exported goods to Kurdistan, will instead consider opening factories in the Region.

 

"We will be encouraging traders who have been exporting their goods to Kurdistan to bring their factories to Kurdistan and invest from here," the president of the Kurdistan Association of Importation and Exportation, Gailan Haji Sahid, told Rudaw at the summit.

 

In April, Iranian, Saudi, Turkish and other companies came to Erbil for a KRG-sponsored oil and natural gas fair.

 

The largest number of companies hails from Turkey, which has 1,421 companies in the Kurdistan Region. Iran followed with 362. The rest of the companies come from Middle Eastern and Western countries with 181 from the United Arab Emirates, 178 from Lebanon, 156 from the UK, 141 from the US, 109 from Jordan, 87 from Germany, 63 from Italy and 42 from Romania. 

 

The Kurdistan Region faced a financial crisis that dragged on for years starting in 2014 amid a budget dispute with Baghdad and subsequent cuts, falling oil prices, and the war with the Islamic State (ISIS) and the influx of 1.8 million displaced Iraqis and Syrian refugees.

 

More than 60 percent of investment projects in education, health, roads and public services have resumed since stopping amid the crisis, however, according to the Kurdistan Investors' Union. 

 

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is seeking better business ties abroad due to the improved security situation post the Islamic State (ISIS)'s defeat in Iraq and better relations with Baghdad. 

 

In late 2017, the federal government imposed an air and diplomatic embargo on the Kurdistan Region due to the Kurdistan independence referendum. Federal forces also retook the disputed territories from the Peshmerga at this time. 

 

Relations have improved under Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi, however, who took office last year. In January, the Iraqi parliament passed budget measures to pay public sector employees in the Kurdistan Region. 

 

US business delegates believe now is an opportune time for American companies to invest in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq, even as the US maintains a security warning for its citizens looking to travel to Iraq amid tensions between with Iran.

 

"We think it is an opportune time for American companies to be looking to come in to invest and do business," VP of Middle East Affairs at the US Chamber of Commerce Steve Lutes told Rudaw in an interview this week.

 

Both Kurdish and foreign officials say there is room for improvement in the business sector in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq, however. Lutes expressed the banking sector needs to be updated. 

 

"Modernizing the banking system in Iraq is one of the most important things that we as the business community, as a business advocacy organization, should be focusing on," he said.

 

Aras Sheikh Raouf, from the KRG Ministry of Trade and Industry, also said the country needs a better banking system to attract investment across multiple sectors.

 

"In order to draw the attention of foreign companies to invest more in tourism, industrial and agricultural sectors, we should give privileges to them and have an active banking system," he told Rudaw this week.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 
img-20190704-wa0001-1500__2019_07_04_h17

French President's envoy discusses with Barzani seven axes, including continuing support for Kurdistan

2019/07/04 10:32:17
 

 

(AFP) - France announced its continued support for the Kurdistan region during a meeting between the President of the region, Nechirvan Barzani, on Thursday with the Special Representative of the French President for Syria and Iraq Francois Snoud, the French Consul General in the region Dominique Mas and the accompanying delegation.
The statement said that the meeting was held before Thursday noon in Erbil and Barzani expressed thanks to France and its president for the continuous support and assistance to the Kurdistan Region, especially in the difficult stages, stressing the increase of relations between the region and France in all fields.
The discussion of the situation in Syria and the international efforts to address the crisis of that country and restore stability and the dissemination of peace and the latest developments in the region and the political process in the Kurdistan region, other axes in the meeting.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kurdistan President Receives French Presidential Envoy in Erbil

 
 04/07/2019 - 17:28 Published in Kurdistan

image.png.d17918d1bcb1d74b55f288a5e72d337b.png

 

 

ERBIL — Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani received on Thursday the French President’s personal representative for Syria, François Sénémaud, to discuss a range of issues, including bilateral ties between Erbil and Paris.

Barzani thanked France for standing with the government and people of Kurdistan Region “during the hard times”, according to the readout of the meeting.

He reiterated Erbil’s will and commitment to further strengthen ties with the Republic of France in different areas of potential cooperation.

Sénémaud said Paris is also willing to foster ties with Erbil, and that the French government is committed to support Kurdistan Region.

The latest developments in Iraq and Syria in the post-Islamic State ear was also on the agenda of the meeting.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kurdistan parliament investigates 'Arabization' in Iraq's disputed territories

3 hours ago

Kurdistan parliament investigates 'Arabization' in Iraq's disputed territories
The city of Kirkuk is at the center of ongoing land disputes between the federal government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, including charges of a renewed campign of "Arabization." (Photo: Archive)
 
 

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A group of lawmakers from the Kurdistan Region Parliament's committee on disputed territories visited areas within them to investigate claims that Kurdish residents have been the target of a campaign of “Arabization,” the term used for policies that favor ethnic Arabs to the detriment of other Iraqi ethnicities. 

“It was the Kurdistan Parliament's decision to establish several committees to visit the disputed areas to investigate the recent incidents such as crop fires and attempts of enacting the Arabization process in villages with Kurdish populations,” committee member Liza Falakadin told Kurdistan 24. 

Parliamentary officials announced the creation of the committee in late May in response to growing numbers of reports of such incidents.

”In our first visit, we came to the office of the representative of the Kurdistan Parliament in Kirkuk’s [town of] Qarahanjir to meet with the people and gather the facts,” Falakadin continued.

“After the meetings, we will present our findings to the parliament which in turn will present them to the Iraqi parliament, the United Nations, and the international community for the proper action.” 

parlaman-lejna2.jpg
Members of the Kurdistan Parliament's new committe on disputed territories. (Photo: Kurdistan 24)

Deputy Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament Bashir Haddad said in a press conference that “in Baghdad, a council for the disputed territories has been established with representatives from the UN and we expect the problems in the Kurdistani [disputed] areas to be addressed in the near future.”

Haddad, also added, “The solution to security gaps in the disputed areas is solid coordination between Peshmerga forces and Iraqi security forces.”

Iraqi forces have been in charge of Kirkuk and other disputed territories since October when they and militias from the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) drove Peshmerga from the province following the Kurdistan Region's independence referendum held the month before.

Since then, Kurdish residents of disputed territories have complained on multiple occasions in several areas about being pressured by Arabs to leave their homes and other property.

In late June, a spokesperson for the Kurdistan Democratic Party’s (KDP) leadership council in Kirkuk claimed that over 12,000 Arab families who occupied land in Kirkuk before 2003 were returning once again to reclaim their former lands.

According to the official, the Arab families “were given compensation in the form of lands and financial means under Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution to return to their governorates and homes” after 2003. 

“However, following the events of October 2017, they are gradually returning to Kirkuk in an attempt to occupy Kurdish lands once again.”

According to Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution, the fate of disputed territories between Erbil and Baghdad requires a referendum in the contested areas so people can decide whether they want to be governed by the KRG or the Iraqi government. However, no such referendum has taken place despite the deadline having passed over a decade ago. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Iraq

‘Huge difference’ between Peshmerga and Hashd: deputy minister

By Lawk Ghafuri 2 minutes ago
The Peshmerga is constitutionally part of the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), but has its own command structures independent of Baghdad. File photo: Rudaw
 
The Peshmerga is constitutionally part of the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), but has its own command structures independent of Baghdad. File photo: Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Responding to calls by Iraq’s former prime minister Haider al-Abadi for the Peshmerga to be integrated into the Iraqi Armed Forces alongside the Shiite paramilitias of Hashd al-Shaabi, the deputy minister of Peshmerga said there is a “huge difference” between the two forces.

Abadi, head of al-Nasr (Victory) coalition in the Iraqi parliament, called on Iraq’s Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi on Monday to include the Peshmerga in his decree to fully amalgamate the Hashd into the Iraqi military. 

“This decree or law should include the Kurdish Peshmerga forces,” Abadi said in the statement

“The unity and stability of Iraq depends on the unity of the armed forces that includes all the ethnic and religious groups, and exceptions for any forces outside of the Iraqi armed forces will create huge threats to the stability and unity of Iraq and harm the sovereignty of our country,” Abadi added.

Abdul-Mahdi decreed on Monday his plan to fully integrate the Hashd into the defense establishment, to reorganize and rationalize Iraq’s Armed Forces. Hashd units, many of which have close ties to Iran, were established in response to a fatwa in 2014 to fight the Islamic State group (ISIS) when the jihadists threatened Baghdad. 

The Hashd was brought under the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) umbrella by the Iraqi parliament in 2016, but has largely continued to operate independently of the state. 

Under the Iraqi constitution, the Peshmerga is already part of the ISF, but has its own command structures independent of Baghdad. 

Speaking to Rudaw on Thursday, Serbast Lezgin, deputy minister of Peshmerga in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), said the Kurdish forces cannot be considered the same as the Shiite paramilitias.

“Kurdistan Peshmerga forces already see themselves as part of the Iraqi defense system, and there are a huge difference between Peshmerga forces and Hashd al-Shaabi regarding their history and strategy,” Lezgin said.

The Iraqi government has neglected the Peshmerga’s initial rights for years, except this year the Iraqi government decided to send Peshmerga salaries, however this budget is still to be sent for Peshmerga forces,” he added, referring to the central government allocation for the Kurdish force.

Lezgin said any problems between the ISF and the Peshmerga should be resolved under the Iraqi constitution and through peaceful dialogue. 

 

The Peshmerga and Hashd forces clashed in October 2017 when Abadi ordered the paramilitias to take over Kirkuk and other territories disputed between Baghdad and the KRG. 


Abadi unsuccessfully tried to unify the ISF and establish more influence over the Hashd while in office. 

Abdul-Mahdi’s decree has been largely welcomed by the Shiite parties in the Iraqi parliament, many of which are headed by former and current Hashd commanders. 

Pro-Iran paramilitias are suspected of launching rocket attacks on military bases hosting US troops and oil facilities managed by ExxonMobil. 

In early June, a rocket was fired at the Baghdad Green Zone, which houses the US embassy compound. Mortar shells and rockets also fell on the Balad and Taji military bases north of Baghdad, which host US and coalition technicians and advisors.

As Baghdad struggles to maintain its neutrality amid escalating US-Iran tensions, Abdul-Mahdi’s move is also seen an attempt to rein in the paramilitias while also protecting them from US sanctions. 

The Iraqi prime minister has come under mounting US pressure to limit the power of Iran-affiliated militias within Iraq. 

Muqtada al-Sadr, the firebrand Shiite cleric whose Sayirun alliance is the biggest bloc in the Iraqi parliament, welcomed the decree and announced on Tuesday his Saraya Al-Salam militia has already started the process of integration.

“What has been issued by the Iraqi Prime Minister regarding the Hashd al-Shaabi is quite an important step toward a stronger Iraq,” Sadr tweeted on Tuesday. 

“I would like to announce that the Saraya al-Salam fighters are under the command of Adil Abdul-Mahdi from now on. Finally, I would like to thank the Iraqi prime minister for this initiative and I hope he keeps working for the sake of Iraq’s unity and the unity of its police, army and forces,” he added. 

The Hashd was formed during the ISIS conflict following a fatwa by Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the highest religious authority for Iraq’s Shiites. The Iraqi parliament recognized the Hashd as a part of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in late 2016.

The prime minister of Iraq is constitutionally the commander-in-chief of all armed forces. However, direct command and control of groups like the Hashd by Abdul-Mahdi and his predecessors has been difficult to achieve.

“All Hashd al-Shaabi forces will work as an inseparable part of the armed forces. All rules applied to the armed forces will be applied to them, unless special letters decree otherwise,” the decree states.
 
  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 
 2019/07/05 05:50:08
 

The Dutch Consul General in Erbil, William Kucin, said the Netherlands would join the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany to support a project to reform the Peshmerga forces in the Kurdistan Region. 
In November 2018, the United States, Britain and Germany prepared a project to reform the Peshmerga. 
Kusin told Kurdistan 24 that the Dutch government "supports the reform of the Peshmerga" and will "gladly" join efforts to unify the Kurdish forces by providing "additional military advisers to support Peshmerga integration." 
"With the United Kingdom, the United States and Germany, we will find ways to allow all the Peshmerga forces to work together," he said. 
The project consists of 35 points, approved by the Parliament of the Kurdistan Region in 2018. The work is carried out by two groups, one from the Ministry of Peshmerga and the other from the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany.
This is what we want, the establishment of modern Peshmerga forces, "the Dutch consul said. 
The main objective of the project is to combine forces with the institutionalization and restructuring of Peshmerga forces. 
The consul-general noted that the Dutch forces are already training Peshmerga trainers who in turn train other elements. 
For his part, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Peshmerga Jabbar Yawar of Kurdistan 24, he is confident that the new Kurdistan Regional Government will ensure the completion of most of the points of the project, if not all. 
The Peshmerga forces fought an organization advocated for years with the support of the international coalition forces and managed to defeat it and achieve great victories over the militant organization.

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Replace security forces with federal police in Kirkuk, Khanaqin: Iraqi MPs

         
Replace security forces with federal police in Kirkuk, Khanaqin: Iraqi MPs
 
Federal Iraqi policeman stands guard. Photo: AFP/ Ahmad Al-Rubaye

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Members of the Iraqi security committee and parliament have demanded the handover of control in Kirkuk, Khanaqin and other disputed cities from the Iraqi security forces to federal police forces exclusively, citing security “violations” that have exacerbated violence in those areas.


Iraqi parliament’s security committee visited Kirkuk and Sunni-majority cities in the Iraqi provinces of Kirkuk, Mosul, Diyala, Salahaddin and Anbar in early June.
  

Upon completion of the trip, a detailed report was sent to the speaker of parliament and Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi at the end of the month, demanding the immediate withdrawal of all Iraqi security force components to be replaced by federal police forces alone, Nasir Harki, a member of the security committee, told Rudaw on Friday.

"We had two committees that were working actively to monitor the security situation in the disputed areas, [of Kirkuk and Khanaqin]. Both reported security violations in those areas," Harki said. 

Among the “violations,” Harki cited Iraqi security force failure to prevent ISIS attacks on civilians in Khanaqin, as well as attacks on political offices in Kirkuk.

"There are many different forces and units that are operating within Kirkuk and Sunni majority cities which has created huge confusion within those areas…only federal police should remain and operate within the city," he added.

After Islamic State (ISIS) swept across the predominantly Sunni north and west of Iraq, security forces fought alongside Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), otherwise known as Hashd Al-Shaabi), launching huge offensives to take back these areas in 2017. Since then, the PMF and Iraqi security forces have largely been in charge of security.

But a lack of coordination between paramilitias, Iraqi security forces and, in some areas, the Peshmerga, has been blamed for an ISIS resurgence. Violence has increased in Kirkuk and other disputed territories, with car bombings and the arson of agricultural land becoming increasingly commonplace.

 

Zaki Kamal, head of Hashd al-Shaabi’s Commando Battalion’s 16th al-Qaim unit, told Rudaw that the PMF “will wait for any orders from the Commander-in-chief [Adil Abdul-Mahdi]. If he orders all Hashd units to withdraw from cities, including Kirkuk, we are under his command and we will follow his orders.”

“We [PMF] are not present in the city of Kirkuk, but in its surrounding area,” he added.

Some members of Iraqi parliament from the affected provinces have added their voice to demands made in the report, also suggesting that a new unit be formed of local residents, granting them control over their own cities. 

"The Iraqi government needs to open the doors for volunteers from the Sunni majority cities to register their names, in order to hand over the security of those cities to the locals or letting the federal police to be in charge and withdraw all the other forces operating in the Sunni majority cities." Naif Al-Shimary, a member of Iraqi parliament representing Mosul city told Rudaw.

Kirkuk and Khanaqin are both territories disputed by Erbil and Baghdad. Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution was supposed to have resolved the issue of disputed territories by 2007, but little progress has been made in the implementation of the article which calls for a census and referendum in these areas to establish whether residents want to remain part of federal Iraq or join the Kurdistan Region. 

Kirkuk was under Peshmerga control from 2014, when the city was under threat from ISIS. In October 16, 2017, the Iraqi Army and Iran-backed PMF launched an offensive, forcing the Peshmerga out of Kirkuk.

 

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kurdistan Democratic reveals the number of articles did not implement the budget law

SHARE ARTICLE:

 

 

Baghdad / National Center for Expertise NNC 
The MP of the Kurdistan Democratic Bloc Deyaar Berwari on the non-implementation of 70 articles in the budget law, noting that part of it related to the benefits of the region.

Berwari said in a statement to the National News Center NNC that "part of the articles of the budget law related to settlement and there are financial issues related between the federal government and the region and part of them as a result of differences in understanding the Constitution and the laws in force."

He added that "the budget law in which a set of paragraphs, including the obligation of the federal government to send salaries of regional staff and send a full budget with the commitment of the territorial government to send 250 thousand barrels, which is part of a general law."

Berwari stressed the need to "implement the budget law in general and not in a fragmented manner," pointing out that "there are 70 articles in the budget law is not implemented so far and part of them related to the receivables of the region."

He pointed out that "there are high-level problem committees between the federal and regional governments of the Ministries of Planning and Finance and the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers with delegations of the region."

"After the formation of the provincial government there will be delegations that have full powers to negotiate with the federal to implement the policy." 
The Iraqi parliament has approved at the beginning of this year the federal budget for fiscal year 2019 worth nearly $ 112 billion.

  • Thanks 1
  • Upvote 1
  • Downvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kurdistan is re-intransigence and the threat not to deliver oil revenues to Baghdad .. Report: Zulfiqar Sharifi
1,184 views


Published on Jul 5, 2019
The Kurdish leaders in the Kurdistan region resume the language of resistance and intransigence against the decisions of the federal government ... The lack of commitment of the region to hand over oil revenues to Baghdad, several deputies, a clear violation of the Constitution and an infringement of the provisions of the budget paragraphs ..

  • Thanks 1
  • Upvote 1
  • Downvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kurdistan parliament condemns deadly Turkish strikes inside Kurdistan Region

4 hours ago
 

https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/fa63f2ba-3c3b-497f-8b95-eb396fa1e9e8


Kurdistan parliament condemns deadly Turkish strikes inside Kurdistan Region
The regional parliament building in the Kurdistan Region's capital of Erbil. (Photo: Archive)
 
Kurdistan PKK Turkey Iraq 
A+AA-

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – During a session on Saturday, the Kurdistan Region's parliament denounced a recent wave of Turkish airstrikes that have killed five civilians and wounded six others.

“We condemn the attacks and airstrikes, as according to the Iraqi constitution, the federal government in Baghdad has a duty to protect the people and the Kurdish borders,” said Acting Speaker Dr. Vala Fareed in a statement released after lawmakers gathered to discuss new legislation.

She added, “We are asking the central government of Iraq to uphold its responsibilities by protecting the borders and to compensate the damage caused by the attacks.”

In the past year, Turkey has carried out military operations against fighters from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) based within the Kurdistan Region with continued regularity. Turkish forces have crossed into the region up to 20 kilometers deep in some areas to target the guerilla group.

Such attacks have led to the evacuation of many villagers from the Kurdistan Region as Ankara's warplanes continue to damage residential and agricultural lands, and, on occasion, kill civilian bystanders about whom there are no claims of PKK affiliation. Aggrieved locals have long urged both sides to take their conflict elsewhere. 

The conflict between PKK and Turkey has also recently taken its toll on the Kurdistan Region's tourism sector. According to Zakho's Directorate of Tourism, 15 local attractions popular with vacationers in the district have been closed down as a result of danger caused by the clashes.  

Following two days of civilian deaths caused by Turkish bombardment, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on June 29 asked both Ankara and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) to put an end to their conflict in areas of the Kurdistan Region populated by civilians. 

“The KRG will not allow its lands to be used to start conflicts with neighboring countries and to harm its civilians in the process, especially the people living in rural villages at the rural areas,” read a statement. 

On June 30, Baghdad condemned the recent Turkish airstrikes, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs declaring that Ankara should stop should violating Iraq’s borders.

Edited by 6ly410
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nechirvan Barzani: Kurdistan is on the brighter stage with Baghdad

Editorial date: 2019/7/6 22:58
Nechirvan Barzani: Kurdistan is on the brighter stage with Baghdad
 
(Baghdad: Al-Furat News) The President of the Kurdistan region that the dispute solved the outstanding problems with Baghdad on the basis of the Constitution, and that the region is coming to a new stage brighter than relations with Baghdad.
"Talabani has always been keen to carry out reforms and institutions, and his clearness in the government reforms we have carried out," Barzani said during a meeting with the ministers of the eighth government cab and his deputy in the ministry, Qubad Talabani, and congratulated him on his re-election by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.
He added that "the region" ahead of a brighter stage in relations with Baghdad and what matters now is that Baghdad recognizes that Kurdistan is a federal region according to the Constitution, and that its dealings with the region must be on this basis.
He expressed his support, in his capacity as president of the Kurdistan region, to Prime Minister-designate Massur Barzani and Qubad Talabani, in the new government cab, and said they could build a better stage than the previous phase in the service of the people of Kurdistan.
  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • yota691 changed the title to Nechirvan Barzani: Kurdistan is on the brighter stage with Baghdad
Date of release: 2019/7/6 22:58 • 206 times read
Nechirvan Barzani: Kurdistan is on the brighter stage with Baghdad
(Baghdad: Al-Furat News) The President of the Kurdistan region that the dispute solved the outstanding problems with Baghdad on the basis of the Constitution, and that the region is coming to a new stage brighter than relations with Baghdad.
"Talabani has always been keen to carry out reforms and institutions, and his clearness in the government reforms we have carried out," Barzani said during a meeting with the ministers of the eighth government cab and his deputy in the ministry, Qubad Talabani, and congratulated him on his candidacy for the post by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. 
He added that "the region" ahead of a brighter stage in relations with Baghdad and what is important now is that Baghdad recognizes that Kurdistan is a federal region according to the Constitution, and that its dealings with the region should be on this basis. "He 
expressed his support, , To the Prime Minister-designate Massur Barzani and Qubad Talabani, in the new government cab, and said that they can build a better stage than the previous phase in the service of the people of Kurdistan.
  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Direct payment of salaries of employees of Kurdistan

Economy | 09:57 - 07/07/2019

 
image
 
 

BAGHDAD - Mawazine News 
A source in the Ministry of Finance and Economy in the Kurdistan region, on Sunday, directly pay the salaries of the staff of the region. 
The source said, for / Mawazin News /, "The ministry began to pay salaries of employees of Kurdistan." 
He added that "the Ministry of Peshmerga is the first ministries to receive salaries today, followed by ministries of education and health and other ministries respectively." Ended 29 / a 43

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  
%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AA%D8%A87-1-696x38

Information / Baghdad ...

A source in the Ministry of Finance, on Sunday, the start of payment of salaries of employees of the Kurdistan region for the month of April.

The source said, for the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, and his / information / /, "The Diwan and the Ministry of Peshmerga received today their salaries for the month of April," explaining that "units 80 and 70 will receive their salaries next Monday."

He added that "the Ministry of Education will receive salaries in April, next Tuesday," pointing out that "the ministry is committed to pay salaries fixed dates per month, and the delay was due to coincide with the end of the weekend." Finished 25 s

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • yota691 changed the title to Barzani confirms the full commitment to work with Abdul Mahdi to resolve the outstanding issues
  • Adam Montana locked this topic
Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.



×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.