Kurdistan details the “secret” of its financial disputes with Baghdad.. This party obstructs the agr

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[size=52]Kurdistan details the “secret” of its financial disputes with Baghdad.. This party obstructs the agreements[/size]

[size=45]The Minister of Finance and Economy in the Kurdistan Region, Awat Sheikh Janab, announced that the failure to send the salaries of 300,000 to 360,000 employees of the region by the federal government “is tantamount to planting a time bomb and provoking division within society” with a political decision, while pointing out that the deep state is in control. In the Iraqi scene, he confirmed that the number of employees in the region is 16% less compared to Iraq.[/size]
[size=45]Sheikh Janab said in a television interview with a group of local media outlets that he headed the negotiating delegation of the Kurdistan Regional Government with Baghdad for a long time, indicating that the delegation was insisting on treating the region’s employees similarly to Iraqi employees, and as a result, an agreement was reached last April, sponsored by the Prime Minister. The Kurdistan Region, Masrour Barzani, and the Prime Minister of the Federal Government, Muhammad Shia al-Sudani, but the deep state in Baghdad retracted the agreement one month after it was concluded.[/size]
[size=45]He explained that “the deep state is the one that rules Iraq, and it is known who these parties are, while all those in the political scene are not main actors in it, but rather merely tools for implementing the policies of the deep state,” indicating: “If there is a political agreement between Erbil and Baghdad, the matter will be addressed.” “All the problems, and without that, we will be back to square one.”[/size]
[size=45]He continued that the region has its constitutional powers, including a parliament, a government, an electoral commission, and an independent oil and financial industry, and the constitution recognized that, as well as the federal system, adding that “what is happening now by the Federal Court is contrary to the Constitution, and the President of the Federal Court from Amman stated that the current constitution is not appropriate.”[/size]
[size=45]He pointed out that the region's Ministry of Finance fulfilled all its obligations and prepared employee lists for the month of March.[/size]
[size=45]In response to a question about whether obstructing the sending of salaries is the responsibility of the Iraqi Minister of Finance, Sheikh Janab stated, “Unfortunately, a bad image is being conveyed about the Federal Minister of Finance, Mrs. Taif Sami, but what I know about her is that she is a professional person and does not consider herself political nor does she have political support.” But because of the Federal Court’s decision, it is implementing the decision in its entirety.”[/size]
[size=45]He attributed the cause of the main problem to a political situation emerging in the Kurdistan Region since 2014 by a decision of the federal government by linking the Kurdistan Region’s share to actual spending “with the aim of limiting the region’s development. This constitutes an injustice against Kurdistan, followed by other unfair decisions such as reducing the region’s share from 17% to 12.6%.” And linking everything to the oil file, and this is like Othman’s shirt to justify those decisions that contain clear and blatant injustice.”[/size]
[size=45]He pointed out that sending incomplete salaries to Kurdistan Region employees is considered tantamount to planting a time bomb, dividing society, and setting fire to the Kurdish house, by not sending salaries from 300,000 to 360,000 employees, stressing that accepting some decisions turns them into a fait accompli, so solving the matter It requires a lot of wisdom and patience.[/size]
[size=45]He went on to say, “The number of our employees in the Kurdistan Region is much less than that of Iraq, as we have about one million and 200 thousand employees, which is only 16% less compared to Iraq.”[/size]
[size=45]He stressed that it is not possible to cover the remaining deficit in salaries because local revenues are insufficient, explaining that attempts are continuing to reach a solution, “as we will distribute salaries as soon as the full amount is reached.”[/size]
[size=45]He expressed his optimism that this would be achieved, indicating that “things are moving towards a solution and there is an initial agreement with Baghdad regarding the salaries of the military, as we send the lists through special codes that can be audited by the financial oversight.”[/size]
[size=45]He also touched on the Popular Mobilization Forces, saying that the budget law does not include any note about the Popular Mobilization Forces, even though their numbers are large, and they do not receive their allocations from the Federal Ministry of Finance, but rather from the Office of the Iraqi Council of Ministers.[/size]
[size=45]He stressed that delaying the salaries of Kurdistan Region employees is linked to a political decision imposed on us, and it can only be resolved by a political decision, pointing to the impact of political interventions on salaries. Every time, a decision was required from the Iraqi Council of Ministers to pay the salaries of the region’s employees because partisan and political influences control this matter.[/size]
[size=45]He stressed that the region is the product of 100 years of struggle and that everything that harms the entity of the Kurdistan Region should not be allowed. Treating the region as a governorate and weakening the regional government means weakening all Kurdistan parties, explaining that what the Federal Court is practicing represents interference in the work of the executive and legislative authorities.[/size]
[size=45]Regarding the oil file, the region’s Finance Minister said: “Out of 14 oil fields, we now have only 9 operating fields, and since April 1, 2023 until now, those fields have produced 45 million barrels, of which 11.8 million barrels were delivered to Iraq from June 25, 2023 until December 1, 2023.” Without Baghdad paying the costs of producing or transporting a single barrel of it, what remains is 33 million barrels, and according to the contracts, 45% of it goes as dues to oil companies and 55% goes to the regional government,” indicating that the average price of one barrel of oil is 31 dollars.[/size]
[size=45]As for local non-oil revenues, he revealed that they amount to 300 billion dinars, 180 billion of which go to operating expenses and ministries’ expenses, and 22 to 24 million dollars are paid to Dana Gas to produce electricity.[/size]
[size=45]He also referred to an accounting project in coordination with the Central Bank of Iraq and Iraqi banks, in which 250,000 employees have registered so far, and the registration of all employees in it is scheduled to be completed by the end of the current year, “and it can be used to localize employees’ salaries.”[/size]
[size=45]He stated that Al-Sudani had previously acknowledged that the mechanism for distributing the salaries of the region’s employees is not the work of the federal government, but that interfering in this matter constitutes a violation of the constitution.[/size]
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