KRG delegation postpones its visit to Baghdad
Shafaq News / The Kurdistan Regional Government's representative in Baghdad, Faris Issa, revealed that the KRG delegation decided to postpone its visit to the Iraqi capital until further notice.
Earlier today, the Parliamentary Finance Committee said in a statement that it sent a letter to the Presidency of the Council of Representatives on February 15. The committee said it had completed a nearly final draft of the 2021 budget bill, and the only unresolved point is the provisions related to Kurdistan Region, which was detailed in Article 11 of the bill.
In an interview with Shafaq News agency, Issa said that the regional government delegation to negotiate with the federal government will not return to Baghdad until the draft general budget bill is submitted to be voted upon in the council of representatives.
He added that the delegation informed the Iraqi Parliament of its position through several proposals that actually represent the Baghdad-Erbil agreement.
Last December, Baghdad, and Erbil reached an agreement on the financial budget, stipulating that the region should hand over 250 thousand barrels of oil per day, and half of the border crossings revenues (and other non-oil revenues) to the federal government, in exchange for a share in the budget of 12.6%.
The agreement was included in the draft budget, but political blocs in Parliament reject the agreement, which impedes its passage in Parliament.
As by Issa, the Kurdish delegation presented everything it had during the negotiations conducted in Baghdad, adding, "Erbil is satisfied with the text sent by the federal government as part of the agreement between the two governments. There is no alternative for it."
