Shafaq News – Baghdad

The UN Special Representative for Iraq, Mohamed al-Hassan, voiced optimism on Tuesday about the prospect of an agreement between the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to resolve their longstanding disputes.

Speaking after a memorial service in Baghdad for victims of the 2003 UN headquarters bombing, al-Hassan underlined his strong ties with the Iraqi and Kurdish leaders and described their engagement as encouraging. “I am optimistic that Erbil and Baghdad can reach a good formula to address their differences,” he told reporters.

Al-Hassan noted that Kurdistan Region’s leadership “always stresses the importance of preserving Iraq and implementing the constitution in all its provisions,” adding that current conditions offer a real opportunity for progress.

A government source told Shafaq News on Monday that a KRG delegation is scheduled to begin meetings with Iraqi counterparts today to address salary payment mechanisms—a sticking point that remains among the most contentious issues between the two sides. The upcoming meeting follows a recent agreement between the Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Iraq’s Oil Ministry on an oil export mechanism, an essential step for enabling salary disbursements.