The regional government delegation arrives in Baghdad to discuss the budget

[Rochester]

We're so close now, I can smell it 😀🤞👃

[6ly410]

go RV 

[yota691]

Prime Minister of Kurdistan

Thursday 10 September 2020 42

 

  Baghdad: Morning

 

An informed source told Al-Sabah that Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi will visit Erbil today, Thursday, to meet with the head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Massoud Barzani.

The source said that Al-Kazemi will hold extensive discussions with Kurdish leaders in Erbil as part of a series of talks that took place in Baghdad recently. 

It is hoped, according to the source, that on his first visit to the Kurdistan region, the Prime Minister will inspect the border crossings, as well as the camps for the displaced.

The Kurds described the talks that took place in Baghdad last Monday as "positive."

A member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Sherzad Qasim, said in a press statement that "it is possible in such an atmosphere to reach solutions that are satisfactory to all parties through joint work to achieve the supreme interests of the Iraqi people."

It is noteworthy that Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi stressed last Tuesday, the need for full coordination between the federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government in various fields, to address the great challenges.

[yota691]

10-09-2020 01:16 AM

Barzani Party: The ground is suitable for Al-Kazemi to solve the outstanding issues between the center and the region

 

 

Baghdad / Al-Akhbariya:
A member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Subhi Al-Mandalawi, confirmed, on Wednesday, that the ground is suitable for Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi to conclude an agreement between Baghdad and Erbil, indicating that it is not in the center's interest and the region to collapse any agreement between them.
Al-Mandalawi said in a televised statement followed by Al-Akhbariya "Al-Kazemi's visit to Erbil is important because the situation between the center and the region needs continuous dialogues."
"It is not in the interest of the center and the region to collapse any agreement between them , but some files need more time to agree upon between the parties"
and " The Earth Day is an occasion to resolve the outstanding issues between the center and the region and that the multiple constituencies in the election law is difficult to implement and not We have concerns about early elections. "

[yota691]

Tomorrow .. Al-Kazemi in Erbil

Editing date: 9/9/2020 17:39 • 59 times read

[Baghdad-Where]
A Kurdish source said, Wednesday, that Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi will visit Erbil on Thursday. The source said in an interview. "Al-Kazemi will visit Erbil, tomorrow, on his first visit to the Kurdistan region since he became prime minister."
He added, "He will discuss the outstanding issues between Baghdad and Erbil, most notably the oil, budget, elections and security cooperation file."

 

[yota691]

On the eve of Al-Kazemi's visit, Baghdad and Erbil give hands to "trouble spots"

Editing date: 9/9/2020 18:49 • 78 times read

[Erbil - Where]
A spokesman for the Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Qubad Talabani, who heads the official delegation of the regional government, during his visit to Baghdad, today, Wednesday, revealed that the meetings are continuing in Baghdad with the Iraqi government, pointing out that there is a good intention to address the outstanding problems between the two parties.

In an interview, Samir Hawrami said, "In order to reach a final agreement, we need discussions, examining the differences in a deeper way, and reaching a joint understanding formula, and on the light of which we sign the final agreement."

Hawrami added, "The trouble spots have been diagnosed, and we are currently looking for legal justifications to address these problems."

The provincial government delegation headed by Talabani arrived in Baghdad on Tuesday to resume negotiations with senior officials in the Iraqi government to reach an understanding that would lead to an agreement to solve the outstanding problems between the two governments.

On Tuesday, the delegation met with the Iraqi Prime Minister, Mustafa Al-Kazemi, and the Minister of Finance, Ali Allawi.

Earlier Wednesday, an informed political source told Shafaq News that Al-Kazemi will visit Erbil tomorrow, Thursday, to meet with regional leaders and leaders.

Al-Kazemi is expected to discuss several files in Erbil, including the pending disputes between Baghdad and Erbil for many years, and the fight against ISIS remnants, as well as the holding of early parliamentary elections.

This will be Al-Kazemi's first visit to the Kurdistan Region since the formation of his government last May.

The Kurdistan Region was among the parties that strongly supported Mustafa Al-Kazemi's rise to the presidency of the federal government.

Al-Kazemi government and the Kurdistan Region have been holding talks for months to resolve the outstanding disputes between Baghdad and Erbil for many years, and at the forefront of which are the disputed areas, the file for managing oil wealth and distributing their revenues.

[DoD]

7 hours ago, yota691 said:

On the eve of Al-Kazemi's visit, Baghdad and Erbil give hands to "trouble spots"

Al-Kazemi government and the Kurdistan Region have been holding talks for months to resolve the outstanding disputes between Baghdad and Erbil for many years, and at the forefront of which are the disputed areas, the file for managing oil wealth and distributing their revenues.

There has to come a time when you stop holding talks an actually do something. Kurdistan needs to rid themselves of some of the corruption just like Baghdad has so they can move forward. Al-Kazmi is going to have to show some of that tough love an force the corrupt Kurds into doing what's right for the entire country. That unity trip to Washington has obviously already played out....

[6ly410]

 

[6ly410]

 

Edited September 10, 2020 by 6ly410

[6ly410]

Kadhimi lands in Kurdistan amid Baghdad budget talks

5 hours ago

Lawk Ghafurihttps://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/10092020-amp?__twitter_impression=true

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi arrived in Erbil on Thursday morning for meetings with top KRG officials, while a delegation from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) continues to hammer out oil and budget issues with the federal government in Baghdad.

The Iraqi premier was met upon arrival at Erbil International Airport by Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region Masrour Barzani. 

Kadhimi's first meeting in Erbil was with leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and former Kurdistan Region president Masoud Barzani. State media quoted the Iraqi premier as saying during the meeting that the Kurdistan Region "is an essential part of Iraq," before recalling cooperation between Erbil and Baghdad during the war against the Islamic State (ISIS).

“Military cooperation between different units of Iraqi forces and Peshmerga forces helped Iraq to defeat Daesh,” state media reported Kadhimi as saying.

He will also meet with Kurdistan Region president Nechirvan Barzani, and visit the provinces of Duhok and Sulaimani, according to Rudaw's Sangar Abdulrahman.

Kadhimi will also visit the Ibrahim Khalil crossing at the Kurdistan Region-Turkey border, Samal Abdulrahman, head of Kurdistan's customs department told Rudaw on Thursday morning.

One aim of Kadhimi's visit is to "reach an agreement regarding the border crossings in the Kurdistan Region,” Hoshyar Abdullah, a Kurdish MP in Iraqi parliament told Rudaw on Wednesday.

Samir Hawrami, spokesperson for the KRG's Baghdad delegation leader and deputy prime minister Qubad Talabani told Rudaw last week that the KRG and federal government had reached an initial agreement on border crossing revenue.

"According to our principal agreement with Baghdad...only 50 percent of the KRG's border crossings revenues will be given to the Iraqi government." 

However, there are “voices in Baghdad” against any agreement between KRG and the federal government, veteran Kurdish politician and former member of Iraqi parliament Mahmoud Othman told Rudaw on Thursday.

“Kadhimi is aiming to resolve outstanding issues between Erbil and Baghdad - but he can't do that alone, as there are voices in Baghdad against any agreement with Erbil,” Othman said. “Some Shiite blocs in Iraqi parliament are pressuring Kadhimi to not compromise for the Kurds."

Kadhimi’s visit comes after a high-level KRG delegation arrived in Baghdad on Tuesday for oil and budget talks.

The trip by the KRG deputy prime minister Qubad Talabani-led delegation is part of a series of visits to Baghdad beginning last month that mark the KRG's first-time participation in drafting Iraq's annual budget.

Last week, Nechirvan Barzani paid a visit to Baghdad, where he met with Kadhimi and a number of Iraqi leaders on the sidelines of a meeting with France's President Emmanuel Macron.

“I held a round of meetings with Iraqi leaders in Baghdad, including Prime Minister Al-Kadhimi, President Salih, Speaker Halbousi & Sayyid [Ammar] Al-Hakim. We discussed bilateral relations, challenges facing the country & resolving outstanding issues in accordance with the Constitution,” Barzani said in a tweet last week. 

The Kurdistan Region is heavily dependent on its share of the Iraqi budget, and Kurdish officials have said they cannot pay civil servants without what it says is its fair share of federal government money.

Erbil says it is entitled to its 12.67% share of federal funds, as stipulated by Iraq's 2019 budget law, while Baghdad says the KRG has not lived up to its end of a deal that includes turning over 250,000 barrels of oil daily to Iraq's State Organization for the Marketing of Oil (SOMO), a state-owned oil company.

Before the August agreement between premiers Barzani and Kadhimi, Baghdad had not sent funds to Erbil since April, worsening the KRG's failure to pay complete and full public sector employee salaries this year.

KRG public sector employees have taken to the streets over delays in salary payments. Demonstrations and strikes calling on the KRG's current cabinet to resign have occurred several times in Sulaimani province, while protests by teachers in May over delayed pay in Duhok were shut down.

[blueskyline]

Thanks 6ly . Keep it coming ! GM DV's

[yota691]

The Kurdistan region reveals the volume of oil production and the reasons for not delivering revenues to the Iraqi government

An oil terminal in Iraq

 10 September 2020 12:07 PM

Mubasher: The Minister of the Kurdistan Region for Federal Government Affairs, a member of the Kurdish negotiating delegation, Khaled Shawani, revealed the volume of the region's oil production, explaining the reasons for not delivering oil revenues to Baghdad during the current year.

Shwani said, via the Al-Iraqiya news channel, followed by the Iraqi News Agency (INA), that the current regional government, since its formation, has adopted a set of concepts to deal with the federal government to end all pending issues, indicating that the outstanding problems are 4 files; Employee salaries, the Peshmerga, the region’s share of the budget, oil and border crossings .

Shawani added that during the year 2019, an agreement was reached on the budget, as the regional government committed to handing over the center revenues of 250 thousand barrels per day, indicating that the reason for not delivering the revenues during the current year is due to the lack of a federal budget for 2020 .

The Kurdistan Regional Minister for Federal Government Affairs stated that the Kurdistan region’s oil production was 480,000 barrels per day, but after the OPEC agreement, it was reduced to 410,000 barrels per day, pointing out that domestic consumption in the region is estimated at 30,000 barrels per day .

Shawani pointed out that there is a global company contracted with the Kurdistan Regional Government that audits everything related to oil from production, sale and revenues, after which the regional government delivers all audit data to the federal government .

He noted that the federal government asked the region to reduce 120 thousand barrels per day, according to OPEC, but the region could not do so due to financial commitments, indicating that the region's monthly banks such as salaries of employees and retirees and social care amounted to 755 million dollars .

Shwani stressed that the regional government wants to reach a strategic agreement to end all outstanding problems, stressing that the number of employees in the region is accurate because there is a biometric fingerprint system for each employee that sends its data to Baghdad on a monthly basis .

And the Minister of the Kurdistan Region for Federal Government Affairs stated that the dues owed by the region from debts, borrowings and salaries for employees are estimated at $ 27 billion, pointing out that the region’s employees suffer from major problems due to not receiving their salaries monthly .

Regarding the border crossings, Shwani explained that the constitution stipulated the administration of customs and border crossings jointly between the federal government and the region, stressing that the region does not have a joint administration of customs and ports and linking them electronically with the center .

On the elections, Shwani pointed out that the region has no objection to holding early elections, indicating that there is a technical delegation that negotiated the electoral system and the division of regions according to the multiple constituencies .

[yota691]

$ 27 billion is the amount of receivables owed by the Kurdistan region

 

Kurdistan Region Minister for Federal Government Affairs Khaled Shawani. "Internet"

money and business Economy News - Baghdad The Minister of the Kurdistan Region for Federal Government Affairs, Khaled Shawani, revealed, on Thursday, that the dues owed by the region have reached 27 billion dollars, stressing that the regional government wants to reach a strategic agreement with Baghdad. "The regional government wants to reach a strategic agreement to end all outstanding problems," Shwani said, stressing that "the number of employees in the region is accurate because there is a biometric fingerprint system for each employee that sends its data to Baghdad monthly." And that "the receivables owed by the region from debts, borrowings and salaries for employees are estimated at 27 billion dollars," noting that "the region's employees suffer from major problems due to not receiving their salaries every month." Regarding the border crossings, Shwani explained, "The constitution stipulates the administration of customs and border crossings jointly between the federal government and the region," stressing that "there is no problem in the region in managing customs and ports jointly and linking them electronically with the center."

Number of observations 86   Date added: 09/10/2020

[6ly410]

 

[yota691]

Kurdistan

Kurdistan planning: the Baghdad talks are "positive" ... and the 2021 budget with a new strategy

 Kurdistan24 Erbil |

5 hours ago

 

 

---

There have been disagreements between the federal government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government regarding the general budget since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003 - Photo: Kurdistan 24

 

 

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Planning of the Kurdistan Region, Zakros Fattah, said Thursday that the discussions held between the delegation of the regional government and the federal government "were positive," indicating at the same time that there are efforts to develop a new strategy for the 2021 budget.

This comes in conjunction with a visit by the Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi to the Kurdistan Region, at a time when the country in general is witnessing a financial and economic crisis and challenges in light of the outbreak of the Corona virus. The two sides seek to resolve financial disputes, especially in the 2021 budget.

The Undersecretary of Kurdistan Ministry of Planning, Zakros Fattah, told Kurdistan 24 that the recent meetings "were positive" and that all the region's demands did not deviate from the constitutional framework in resolving the outstanding disputes.

"There is a good understanding on all issues, and discussions took place on the main files," he said, referring to the oil file, financial dues and the 2021 budget.

He added that there are unremitting efforts to resolve the outstanding differences, especially with regard to the financial dues for the Kurdistan Region in the federal budget for the next year.

"A strategy will be prepared to balance the next three years," Fattah said.

In the wake of Baghdad cutting the salaries of its employees, the Kurdistan Region held up to seven rounds of talks with the federal government during this year, the last of which was about two days ago.

The Kurdistan Regional Government says that reaching an agreement with Baghdad would revive the economy and achieve prosperity and stability for all Iraqis.

There have been disagreements between the federal government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government over the general budget since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003.

The President of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Masrour Barzani, said in a previous interview with the Iraqi and Arab media, that the sums that Baghdad sends to the region are less than 5 percent of the total federal budgets.

And Baghdad imposed on the Kurdistan Region, in the previous financial budget, a share not exceeding 13 percent, in contrast to the previous shares of 17 percent.

The Kurdistan Region says that this percentage is not based on agreement or any legal cover or scientific basis, and has repeatedly called for a comprehensive census to resolve the dispute regarding the region’s percentage.

[nannab]

Get it done Boy's!!!  Please and thank you  

[dinarham]

Holy mackeral ,Andy !!!  Shut the barn door !!!  Shut up!!! Be still my heart!!!  Whaaaaat !!! There is a pony in there !!!!