Baghdad is Ready for the dialogue with Washington.. and may not be able to provide employees' salaries

Shafaq News / The Iraqi government expressed its readiness, today (Tuesday), to engage the strategic dialogue with the United States of America next June. Simultaneously, it revealed a draft of a government rationalization project, that points to difficulties in meeting the financial needs required to provide staff salaries by the end of the current year.
Advisor of the Prime Minister Hisham Dawood, said in a joint press conference with the media spokesman for the Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces, Brigadier Yahya Rasool, that, "the negotiations with the United States will be held in June 10. It may be held by the minister of foreign affairs or lower", noting that, "Al-Kadhimi's participation is unlikely".
He added that the Iraqi side, "will emphasize during the negotiations on national sovereignty without mentioning the withdrawal of American forces directly", adding that, "there are many fields for cooperation with the United States, and it is not limited to the security aspect that we may need in the future, such as information and training". This statement is akin to what the US ambassador to Iraq, Matthew Tueller, confirmed earlier; the Iraqi-American dialogue, next June, addresses political, economic, cultural, educational and scientific issues.
Regarding the financial crisis, the Prime Minister's advisor explained that, "the Iraqi government is facing financial obstacles especially after the collapse of oil prices, as well as difficulties in providing salaries for employees, added to the implications of Covid-19 outbreak. This situation requires huge sacrifices".
Dawood revealed that, "there is a project presented by the Minister of Finance in association with the acting Minister of Oil, to address the financial crisis. This project aims to rationalize the governmental process and salaries", stressing that the project, "will be put forward in an extraordinary session next Thursday or Saturday".

the Prime Minister's advisor stated that, "solutions exist for the short, medium and long levels", noting that, "the deficit is clear and blatant. If the price of the oil barrel remains 30 dollars, we may not be capable of paying the salaries of employees and retirees by the end of the year."
In a statement released today (Tuesday), the World Bank expected that Covid-19 outbreak may leave "long-term scars" on the developing and emerging market countries and oil exporters, including Iraq.
Iraq, which is the most prominent oil exporting country, is going through a stifling financial crisis, due to the drop in oil prices since the emergence of Covid-19. This situation raised concerns about the impact of the decline and lack of revenues on the federal budget of 2020, the operational budget and the salaries of government employees and retirees.