SULAIMANI (ESTA) — The U.N. envoy to Iraq said agreements on the federal budget for 2021 require “reconciliation and compromise” between Erbil and Baghdad.
Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert briefed the U.N. Security Council on the latest recent developments in Iraq on Tuesday.
The U.N. envoy said the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) had yet to reach a “final, durable” agreement on budgetary and larger issues remains “elusive”.
“The harsh reality is that constructive negotiations between Baghdad and Erbil continue to be hampered by laws missing since 2005,” said the special representative of the U.N. secretary-general for Iraq.
“Laws on, for instance, oil and revenue sharing. Other areas of contention also include the disputed territories,” she added. “To date, no agenda or timetable has been set to address these outstanding issues.”
Despite a series of meetings between Iraqi and Kurdish officials, Baghdad and Erbil have yet to reach a final agreement on their suspending issues, including oil and border crossings.
A high-level delegation from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) led by Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani is currently in Baghdad for talks with Iraqi officials and lawmakers on the 2021 federal budget.
The draft budget law commits the Kurdistan Region to hand over 250,000 barrels of oil per day and non-oil revenue to Baghdad in exchange for the Region’s share of the budget.
“Those who have followed the recent budgetary negotiations closely, will have realized that these negotiations were not just centered on technical questions – such as barrels per day. They were also inherently political – about deeper misgivings and mistrust,” Hennis-Plasschaert said.
“So, let me re-emphasize: a positive, stable relationship between federal Iraq and the Kurdistan Region is absolutely essential to the stability of the whole country,” she added.
“And of course, enhancing and strengthening Iraq’s federal system requires concessions on both sides, and practicing what one preaches. It requires the responsible use of moderate language by all.”
