An agreement in principle to reduce parliamentary financial proposals on Kurdistan and not to prejud

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[size=52]An agreement in principle to reduce parliamentary financial proposals on Kurdistan and not to prejudice the share of the region[/size]

[size=45]The Kurdistan Democratic Party: Consensual solutions are close to being reached, and the political agreement must be implemented[/size]
[size=45]Baghdad / Tamim Al-Hassan[/size]
[size=45]Wings within the coordination framework are close to controlling what was described as a “rebellion” within the Shiite group behind the explosion of the Kurdistan crisis with the budget.[/size]
[size=45]The information indicates the possibility of withdrawing part of the proposals that were recently added suddenly from the Finance Committee and came close to torpedoing the Baghdad-Erbil agreement that was concluded last April.[/size]
[size=45]Kurdish parties talk about a positive atmosphere regarding the recent crisis, and it is likely to reach consensual solutions.[/size]
[size=45]In the last meeting of the Shiite alliance, there was a division over the problem of the budget in exchange for an agreement not to change the share of the Kurdistan region.[/size]
[size=45]It is assumed that the State Administration coalition, which includes the main forces in Parliament, will meet to discuss the crisis, but the meeting has not been confirmed until the moment of writing the report.[/size]
[size=45]And the adoption by members of the Finance Committee in Parliament of additions about Kurdistan's share in the budget caused the anger of the region and the disruption of passing the budget until further notice.[/size]
[size=45]And about the scenes of the meeting of the coordination framework on Sunday evening in the office of Mohsen Al-Mandalawi, Deputy Speaker of Parliament, informed sources reveal that “the failure to come up with a decisive decision regarding the budget.”[/size]
[size=45]The sources told (Al-Mada), quoting the leaders of the "framework", that "the meeting attended by Prime Minister Muhammad al-Sudani was not at the required level due to the absence of some leaders."[/size]
[size=45]And the sources indicated, "The dialogues that took place in the meeting did not reach a final solution, and the situation is going to a second round."[/size]
[size=45]Despite this, the sources confirmed that "at the meeting, it was confirmed that the dispute was about two articles only, which are 13 and 14, without prejudice to or changing the share of the region."[/size]
[size=45]The two articles relate to the region's export of no less than 400,000 barrels of oil, and the deposit of oil money in a bank account monitored by Baghdad and Erbil, while the region's share is 12%.[/size]
[size=45]The proposals that were added by the representatives of the “framework” in the Finance Committee obligated the region to deliver the oil to be exported through the state company SOMO, or to use it locally in Iraqi refineries.[/size]
[size=45]The other proposal is related to opening a bank account in which oil export sums are deposited, as the Parliamentary Finance stipulated that the account be the Central Bank of Iraq.[/size]
[size=45]Despite this, the sources reveal a tendency within the coordination framework to “reduce the percentage of the Kurdistan Regional Government’s payment from the salaries of the region’s employees, which it deducted through compulsory saving.”[/size]
[size=45]Last Thursday, the Finance Committee in Parliament voted to oblige the Kurdistan Region to pay 10% monthly of the salaries deducted to its employees.[/size]
[size=45]This vote caused members of the Kurdistan Democratic Party to boycott the committee before the deputy speaker of parliament, Shakhwan Abdullah, asked to suspend its work due to an increase in the number of members.[/size]
[size=45]The regional government, according to Kurdish media, implemented Resolution No. (64) in 2016 within the policy of financial austerity through the compulsory savings program for employees, except for the security forces (Asayish and Peshmerga), as savings began from 15% of the employees’ salaries, with a 50% deduction. From the pension for special grades.[/size]
[size=45]The Finance Committee returned, according to these means, in the Parliament of Kurdistan after that in 2022 to form a sub-committee to prepare a report on restoring the salary saving system, which will be submitted to the Presidency of Parliament upon its completion.[/size]
[size=45]The regional government denied on several occasions the reduction of salaries or the re-imposition of compulsory savings, considering the matter as a “red line” that cannot be touched.[/size]
[size=45]However, sources familiar with the meeting of the coordination framework say that parties within the Shiite alliance agree with the concerns of members of the Finance Committee, who fear Kurdistan's non-compliance with the agreement.[/size]
[size=45]The President of the Kurdistan Region, Nechirvan Barzani, had stressed that the violation of the constitutional rights of the region would not be accepted, calling on the political parties to "commit to the agreements."[/size]
[size=45]Barzani said in a speech during the graduation ceremony for students of the American University in Dohuk Governorate, on Sunday: "People are tired of conflicts and political problems, and we have to learn from previous problems."[/size]
[size=45]He added, "We will not accept the violation of the constitutional rights of the Kurdistan region, and I demand that the political parties in Iraq abide by the agreements and the political process and overcome the crises."[/size]
[size=45]Meanwhile, the team supporting the amendments to the budget within the Finance Committee published a picture that brought them together, indicating their adherence to their previous position.[/size]
[size=45]The team consists of 6 members of the coordination framework, most notably Mustafa Sanad and Youssef Al-Kalabi, who posted a tweet on Twitter saying that he “will never give up” voting on the paragraphs related to the region in the budget.[/size]
[size=45]Observers had considered what happened as a "rebellion" by some parties in the coordination framework against Mohammed al-Sudani, the prime minister, as part of the early competition for the elections.[/size]
[size=45]In turn, Mahma Khalil, a member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, said, "Meetings and dialogues are continuing regarding the budget, and things are going to a breakthrough."[/size]
[size=45]And he added in an interview with (Al-Mada): “Some members of the Finance Committee made a mistake in manipulating the Iraqis’ power by putting in place new proposals for the budget that led to emptying the political agreement of its content.”[/size]
[size=45]Khalil considered that what happened: “It is not the prerogative of parliament, but rather a political targeting,” explaining that “some of the Finance Committee’s proposals smell of nostalgia for the dictatorial regime.”[/size]
[size=45]The member of the Democratic Party concluded his speech by emphasizing that the understandings “go to the path of not harming any of the parties, reaching consensual solutions and implementing the political agreement.”[/size]
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