SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Kurdish leader Mohammed Haji Mahmoud called on the Kurdish representatives to leave Baghdad, after the Iraqi Council of Representatives voted to adopt the fiscal deficit financing bill early on Thursday.
The Kurdistan Socialist Democratic Party leader said the federal government would not be ready to send the Region’s share of the federal budget and the Kurds’ financial entitlements even if the regional government handed over revenues and soil to Baghdad.
“Despite their foes, Shias and Sunnis unitedly called for the cut of the Kurdistan Region’s budget and payments,” the Kurdish leader said in a statement early on Thursday.
“Sunnis and Shias were united in opposing Kurds. Thus, I call on the Kurdistan Parliament to hold a meeting to make several points decisions in assistance with the Kurdistan Regional Government and the political parties,” Mahmoud stated.
Mahmoud proposed that the Region puts an end to “calling for money, budget and payment from Iraq” and “the Kurds withdraw from Baghdad”.
He also suggested that the “Region’s revenue be reorganized and distribute salaries every 30 days and does not wait for Baghdad [to send the budget],”.
The Kurdish leader called on the KRG to halt “humiliating Kurds in front of Baghdad and Arabs”.
The Iraqi parliament held a session early on Thursday to vote on the fiscal deficit financing bill, which allows the federal government to borrow 12 trillion Iraqi dinars ($10 billion) in internal and external loans in order to pay salaries of public servants. The loan was decreased from 42 trillion Iraqi dinars.
Kurdish lawmakers walked out of the session due to their concern about the Kurdistan Region’s share set in the fiscal deficit financing bill.
The bill was adopted by a majority vote of the Shia and Sunni lawmakers at dawn.
Kurdish lawmaker Rebwar Karim said in a post to his official Facebook page that the fiscal deficit financing law commits the Kurdistan Region to hand over non-oil revenues and an amount of oil which SOMO indicates to the federal government in exchange for an amount of budget for the Region.
“All the Kurdish blocs fought to secure the Kurdistan Region’s share of the budget, but the Iraqi parties were not ready to make a consensus due to the lack of trust in the Region,” the lawmaker added.
MP Sarkawt Shamsadin said in a tweet that it was not “acceptable” to deal of rights through majority-minority votes.
“KRG is a burden but financial rights of people of Kurdistan is responsibility of Iraqi Gov.,” he said.
He further said the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) had proposed a deal for 320 billion Iraqi dinars per month in exchange for the Region’s share in the federal budget.
“We (members of 15 Bloc) suggested to authorize PM 2 make a new deal with KRG. KDP proposed same deal (320 IQD a month), but promising 2 export oil through SOMO starting Jan 2021 in exchange for KRG (%12.67-%15).”
