Shafaq News- Al-Sulaymaniyah
Kurdish political groups on Saturday tied their support for Iraq’s next government to a set of 20 demands, urging Prime Minister-designate Ali Al-Zaidi to guarantee equal rights for the Kurdistan Region.
At a press conference in Al-Sulaymaniyah, Al-Mawqif Movement coordinator Ali Hama Saleh outlined the proposals, indicating that discussions during Al-Zaidi’s visit included a review of the previous government program, where “many commitments remained unmet.” The demands call for adherence to the Iraqi constitution and the inclusion of the Region’s financial entitlements, particularly its share of the federal budget, in the new government program.
Kurdish representatives pressed for equal treatment with other provinces in areas such as hiring top graduates and purchasing agricultural crops, Saleh added, stressing that parity should extend to oil revenues and public salaries. He also called for unified salary payment mechanisms between Baghdad and Erbil, alongside balanced support for farmers, students, and families of martyrs.
Participation in the next cabinet, he said, remains essential but should be based on securing rights rather than ministerial positions, framing the proposals as “service-oriented.”
Kurdistan Justice Group lawmaker Ahmed Hama Rashid, meanwhile, indicated that discussions covered political and economic tracks, focusing on the government program and financial entitlements.
Rashid added that Al-Zaidi welcomed the proposals and called for a broader meeting in Baghdad with Kurdish blocs to review them, while urging major parties, including the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), to unify their position.
Earlier today, Al-Zaidi arrived in Erbil, where he met KDP leader Masoud Barzani, President Nechirvan Barzani, and Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, before traveling to Al-Sulaymaniyah for talks with PUK leader Bafel Talabani as part of ongoing consultations on the government program and cabinet lineup.
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