SULAIMANI (ESTA) — The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) delegation will meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi in Baghdad on Saturday, an official said.
The delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani will hold a “top meeting” with Kadhimi in Baghdad on Saturday afternoon to discuss ways to reach an agreement with Baghdad, Talabani’s spokesman Samir Hawrami said.
The delegation will also meet with Speaker of Iraqi Council of Representatives Mohammed Halbousi in the Iraqi capital, he told Esta Media Network.
The KRG delegation visited Baghdad on Wednesday in effort to reach a deal with the federal government about the Region’s share of the federal budget for 2021.
“The Region’s delegation is working to secure 320 billion dinars as payment for public servants and the Kurdistan Region’s financial entitlements in the loan law,” Hawrami said.
The loan law, adopted by the Iraqi parliament on Nov. 12 without Kurds consent, 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.
On Friday, Kadhimi said he would work “hard” to meet demands of people in the Kurdistan Region and other Iraqi cities, following days of anti-government demonstrations in the provinces of Sulaimani and Halabja as well as the administrations of Garmian and Raparin.
Angry protesters called on the KRG to pay their delayed salaries. The Kurdish government is one month behind to pay its public servants. The KRG has yet to pay salaries of April, May, June, July and August.
Around 10 people including eight protesters and two members of security forces were killed and more than 100 others were wounded during the demonstrations. Angry protesters set fire to headquarters of several political parties and governments offices last week.
“Deeply touched by the suffering of our people in the KRI, especially in Sulaymaniyah,” Kadhimi said in a tweet late on Friday, referring to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
“Anger is understood as it results from previous years and decades. We will work hard to respond to the rights of our people in KR and all Iraqi cities,” he added.
On Friday, Iraqi President Barham Salih met with Kadhimi, Iraqi Finance Minister Ali Allawi and Oil Minister Ihsan Abduljabbar in Baghdad.
Esta Media Network has learned that the four officials discussed an agreement between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the federal government.
