ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on Wednesday formed a delegation to partake in negotiations with Baghdad over the outstanding issues between the two sides, stressing the need to implement the agenda the new Iraqi federal government “as soon as possible.”
Prime Minister Masrour Barzani headed a meeting of the council of ministers on Wednesday, discussing the KRG’s roadmap towards a “new relationship between Erbil and Baghdad,” and mechanisms to resolve the pending issues between the two governments. The council then formed a negotiation delegation, consisting of several ministers and other top officials, for talks with Baghdad.
“The issues include the implementation of Article 140 concerning the lands disputed between Erbil and Baghdad, oil and gas, the Kurdistan Region’s participation in federal institutions, the Peshmerga’s constitutional rights, in addition to other matters,” read a statement from the KRG.
The delegation has been tasked with engaging in the negotiations “as soon as possible” and “in accordance with the constitution,” the statement added.
Tension between Erbil and Baghdad has been high since the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court in February deemed the Kurdistan Region’s oil and gas law “unconstitutional”, hence striking the independence of the Region’s energy sector and jeopardizing its industry. The KRG has repeatedly challenged the constitutionality of the court’s ruling.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani on Tuesday said that Erbil and Baghdad are willing to resolve the pressing issues between them, stressing that they should do so “professionally.”
PM Barzani said earlier this month that drafting a joint hydrocarbons law between Erbil and Baghdad is crucial for resolving the outstanding issues between the two governments.
Article 140 calls for the dispute over areas in the provinces of Diyala, Kirkuk, Nineveh, and Salahaddin to be resolved, and includes measures aimed at rectifying Arabization policies implemented under the rule of Hussein. It specifies that this process needs to be implemented by no later than the end of 2007, yet it remains to be fully applied around 15 years after that date.
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