SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Kurdistan Region Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani said talks with the Iraqi government continue to reach an agreement, refusing claims that a Kurdish delegation in Baghdad had failed in negotiation with Baghdad.
A Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) delegation led by Talabani visited the Iraqi capital on December 9 to resume talks with officials from the federal government over their ongoing disputes regarding oil and border crossings’ revenues.
The delegation has held several meetings with Iraqi officials and political leaders in an effort to reach an agreement over the loan law, adopted by the Iraqi Council of Representatives last month, without Kurds’ consent.
The law commits the Kurdistan Region to hand over non-oil revenues and an amount of oil that SOMO indicates to the federal government in exchange for an amount of money as payment for the Region’s public servants.
The KRG deputy prime minister told reporters on Monday night that talks with the federal government’s officials would continue until an agreement is reached.
“I call on parties to be patient. We are here to secure rights of the Kurdistan Region and public servants, and I am certain we will get to a successful result,” Talabani said.
“The Kurdistan Region is ready to hand over oil and non-oil revenues [to Baghdad],” Talabani added.
On Saturday, the KRG delegation and Iraqi parliament’s financial committee held a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi and Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi.
Lawmaker Hoshyar Abdulla said the meeting was “positive”.
Kadhimi’s office said the Iraqi and Kurdish officials discussed mechanisms for the implementation of the fiscal deficit financing law, also known as the loan law.
