No budget without the Kurds, MP says

Shafaq News/ The Member of the Parliamentary Finance Committee, MP Muhammad al-Shabaki, highlighted a near-consensus in the Parliament on rejecting a budget bill that does not satisfy the Kurdish forces. 

The Prime Minister of Kurdistan Region, Masrour Barzani, said yesterday, Wednesday, in a press conference held after the cabinet meeting, that the general federal budget must be based on the constitution, indicating that negotiations with Baghdad are still ongoing.

Al-Shabaki told Shafaq News Agency, "We are waiting for the completion of the consultations and meetings between the regional government delegation, the governmental, and the political parties in Baghdad, to reach a specific formula between Baghdad and Erbil and introduce it formally to the budget."

The Regional Government delegation headed by Qubad Talabani, Deputy Prime Minister, returned yesterday, Wednesday, to the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, to finalize the agreement with the Parliamentary Finance Committee and the federal government regarding the region's share in the budget.

Al-Shabaki also said, "there is no specific time for passing the budget or a specific time for an agreement between Baghdad and Erbil. This matter may be resolved in a day or a week."

 The Committee member added that scheduling a session to approve the bill "depends on negotiations. There is consensus not to pass the budget without the Kurds...Nobody wants to replicate the borrowing law scenario."

 The Kurdistan Prime Minister, Masrour Barzani, expressed his rejection of the Iraqi political voices demanding to hand over the region's oil file to Baghdad. 

In a press conference yesterday, Wednesday, held after the cabinet meeting, Barzani said that the agreement between Erbil and Baghdad was to deliver 250 thousand barrels of oil per day and half of the border-crossings' imports to the federal government.

He added, "the budget is not the only problem we are facing. We have other problems such as the sovereign expenses, pensions, the Peshmerga dues, and investments."

Barzani stressed that the constitutional Article 140 has not yet been applied, noting, "we want to address the budget problem and implement the last agreement that we reached."

"We hear people saying that the region must hand over its oil file to Baghdad," Barzani concluded, "this is unconstitutional, and we reject the violation of Kurdistan's rights."