SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Shia factions in the Iraqi parliament are determined that the Kurdistan Region hand over its oil and border crossing’s revenue to Baghdad in exchange for its share of the federal budget, a lawmaker said on Sunday.
Kurdish lawmaker in the Iraqi parliament Jamal Kochar said the Shia factions were working to form a joint council in order to be united regarding issues between the Region and Baghdad.
“There was such a coalition among the Shia factions, but they separated. Now, they want to reestablish [it] again,” he told Esta Media Network.
“They are somehow united regarding the Region’s issue. They say the Kurdistan Region must first hand over its revenue, then the federal budget will be sent to it,” he said.
Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani said last month that the Region would export 250,000 barrels of oil per day through Baghdad once the federal budget was adopted by the Iraqi parliament.
Talabani and Iraqi finance minister Ali Allawi said in December that Erbil and Baghdad had reached an agreement over the 2021 federal budget bill, which the Iraqi parliament finished the first reading on Saturday.
The draft budget bill commits the Kurdistan Region to export 250,000 barrels of oil per day through Baghdad in exchange for the Region’s share of the federal budget, which is set at 12.67%.
The Iraqi parliament is scheduled to conduct the second reading of the draft budget bill on Monday.
