Fears of new tension... Kurdistan awaits funding and Baghdad reveals the solution

[size=52]Fears of new tension... Kurdistan awaits funding and Baghdad reveals the solution[/size]

[size=45]Bright news[/size]
[size=45]As soon as a month passes, talk returns about the relationship between Baghdad and Erbil, and with it renewed concern about resolving the outstanding problems, especially after concluding official agreements that the parties concerned must abide by, foremost among which is paying the salaries of the region’s employees.[/size]
[size=45]Frequent visits[/size]
[size=45]A source in the Ministry of Finance of the Kurdistan Regional Government revealed yesterday, Monday, that a delegation from the regional government visited the capital, Baghdad, on Tuesday.[/size]
[size=45]The source said in a statement followed by Al-Mada, “The delegation will hold a meeting with the Finance Committee in the Iraqi Parliament tomorrow, Wednesday, to discuss the salaries and budget file.”[/size]
[size=45]He added that "the region's Minister of Finance will be among the Kurdish delegation, in addition to a number of government officials in Kurdistan," noting at the same time that "the Ministry of Finance in the Kurdistan Regional Government is waiting for the Federal Ministry of Finance to send, through the three banks, an amount of 700 billion dinars for the purpose of disbursing private employee salaries." In the month of August.[/size]
[size=45]He continued, "It is expected that Baghdad will begin sending the amount in the form of payments at the end of this week, that is, after the salaries of employees in the Iraqi governorates are released, and then the Ministry of Finance in the region will announce a schedule for disbursing employees' salaries."[/size]
[size=45]Important laws are broken[/size]
[size=45]For his part, political analyst Iyad Al-Anbar told Al-Mada: “The measures to contain the crisis between the Kurdistan region and the local government were temporary, but until this moment the next steps have not been made clear after the agreement that occurred to give advances to pay the salaries of employees, which seems to be unable to address the crisis in the region.” Kurdistan.[/size]
[size=45]He stated, “As long as there are no constitutional, practical, and realistic solutions to address the crisis. The crisis remains, and there are parties striving to invest in it and demonstrate their muscles, given that the relationship between the region and Baghdad is going through one honeymoon period, which is the period of forming the government, after which the escalation speeches begin,” noting that “the responsibility is neither in the Kurdistan Regional Government nor in Baghdad, but rather lies in an incapable ruling system.” “It seeks to solve problems through personal agreements between the head of the federal government and the prime minister in the Kurdistan region.”[/size]
[size=45]Al-Anbar added: “In the final result, there are other issues related to broken laws related to oil and gas, issues related to the centralization of salary management, and a lack of seriousness in resolving the issue by the Baghdad government.”[/size]
[size=45]unknown fate[/size]
[size=45]In mid-September, the Council of Ministers approved sending three batches to Kurdistan to pay salaries to employees in the region at a rate of 700 billion dinars for each batch, with a total of more than 2 trillion dinars.[/size]
[size=45]The regional government distributed the first batch during the current month as salaries for the month of July, while it is hoped that the salaries of August and September will arrive gradually until the end of the year, but the fate of the salaries for the months of October, November and December is still unknown.[/size]
[size=45]In the same context, the representative of Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Soran Omar, revealed the reasons for delaying the payment of salaries to the region’s employees and not implementing the provisions of the federal budget for the current year.[/size]
[size=45]Omar said in a statement followed by Al-Mada, “The Office of the Federal Prime Minister confirmed that the Baghdad government has not yet reached a legal agreement with the Kurdistan Regional Government Committee to send funds to the region in accordance with the 2023-2024-2025 budget law.”[/size]
[size=45]He added, “On August 28, 2023, I sent letter No. (617/D) to the Iraqi Prime Minister regarding the non-implementation of the budget law and failure to finance the Kurdistan region according to the share allocated to it in the law, and in accordance with letter No. (2329322/3002) dated 10/2023.” /11 The Prime Minister’s Office responded and confirmed that the two committees of the central and regional governments did not reach any legal agreement, and therefore the Kurdistan Region was not funded according to the budget law.[/size]
[size=45]Omar explains, “The region was late in disbursing three months’ salaries with the loan it obtained, and it is still unclear what will be the fate of the three months’ salaries.”[/size]
[size=45]Reassurances through official institutions[/size]
[size=45]For his part, the spokesman for the Kurdistan Regional Government, Peshwa Hawramani, revealed yesterday, Monday, that Prime Minister Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani informed the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government that the federal government will not send the salaries of the region’s employees directly.[/size]
[size=45]Hawramani stated in a televised statement, “Al-Sudani assured the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Masrour Barzani, that the Iraqi government will not send the salaries of the region’s employees directly, because that violates the constitution.”[/size]
[size=45]He added, “Al-Sudani said that the salaries of the region’s employees will be sent through the official institutions of the Kurdistan Regional Government.”[/size]
[size=45]Al-Sudani's report comes at a time when the blocs of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, the New Generation Movement, the Kurdistan Justice Group, and the Kurdistan Islamic Union, in the Iraqi House of Representatives, collected signatures to pressure Baghdad to send the salaries of Kurdistan Region employees directly.[/size]
[size=45][You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]