PUK co-chair calls on Sulaimani protesters to be ‘patient’ until Kadhimi meeting

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) co-chair Lahur Talabany has called on protesting teachers and other civil servants in Sulaimani to be “patient” and wait for his Sunday meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, which he hopes will “permanently” resolve budget issues with Baghdad.

A large number of Kurdistan Regional Government’s civil servants protested salary delays  in downtown Sulaimani on Wednesday and Thursday, and were met with live fire, tear gas and water cannons used by security forces.

Reporters for Sulaimani-based NRT TV were detained and had their equipment seized on Thursday, according to the outlet.

The PUK co-chair called on protesters to “be patient for a few days,” while calling on security forces to “respect and protect” demonstrators.

The Change Movement (Gorran) also condemned violence against protesters, calling on security forces to “stop violence and release the detainees,” and on the KRG to make a deal with Baghdad.

The PUK, along with other political parties, will meet with Kadhimi on Sunday to discuss the Kurdistan Region’s share of the federal budget, according to Talabany.

“Be sure that I will represent you and all civil servants of the Region in this meeting, defend your rights, do my best to guarantee your share and rights in the 2021 federal budget, and end this issue permanently,” the leader said in a Thursday statement.

Talabany, whose party is dominant in Sulaimani, said that the PUK supports the demands of protesters, who have gone unpaid for most of this year as a result of budget disputes between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Iraqi federal government in Baghdad.

“I want to ensure you I support your rightful and legitimate demands. As the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan leadership, we are aware that it is no longer acceptable to victimize the people of Kurdistan Region for the sake of corruption, opacity, and political tensions,” he said.

The KRG began distributing civil servant salaries for October on Thursday. Erbil has struggled to pay civil servant salaries in full and on time for five years, due to the war against the Islamic State (ISIS), disputes with Baghdad and a drop in oil prices.

Tension with Baghdad heightened last month after Kurdish MPs walked out of a session on a fiscal deficit bill which requires the Kurdistan Region to hand over oil in exchange for its share of the budget. The law was passed despite Kurdish opposition.