Baghdad, Erbil agree to lift flight ban, pending PM Abadi's approval
6:52 pm
Erbil, Baghdad reach preliminary accord on Kurdish airports
Kurdish and Iraqi delegates have agreed for the Kurdistan Region airports to come under Iraqi civil aviation authority, one of a list of recommendations to be presented to the Iraqi government for approval.
Hours-long meetings between high-level representatives of the KRG and Iraqi government in Erbil on Monday developed the recommendations to resolve issues between the two administrations, such as the international flight ban.
The international airports of Erbil and Sulaimani will come under "Iraqi Civil Aviation Law" and will follow all instructions and regulations released by the Iraq Civil Aviation Authority (ICAA), read the minutes of the meetings obtained by Rudaw.
Under the agreement, the two airports will follow the directions of the ICAA with regard to inbound and outbound flights and will not allow "any airplane to land or take off without the approval of the Civil Aviation."
The delegates proposed that the ICAA will assign permanent representatives from the air transport and air safety department to the airports. Erbil and Sulaimani airports will also follow the fee system introduced by Iraq in 2008 and will provide their monthly revenue data to the ICAA.
There will also be monthly meetings between the ICAA and the airport directors in order to ensure communication and resolve problems.
"A coordinator will be assigned from the Erbil and Sulaimani airports to facilitate communication with the Civil Aviation Authority," the minutes explained, adding that the coordinator will have a permanent presence in the ICAA.
The two sides will present these recommendations to the Iraqi government for approval, the minutes read, adding that some of the teams present on Monday have yet to finish their work, and will file their reports with Baghdad when ready.
Earlier in the day, Rudaw sources had stated that the two sides reached an initial agreement to lift the ban on international flights to and from the Kurdistan Region, pending approval from Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.
The Secretary General of the Iraqi Council of Ministers, Mahdi al-Alaq, who headed the Iraqi delegation, told the Kurdish side that PM Abadi wants to "study the outstanding problems in a constructive way and based on the principles of the Iraqi constitution and the federal laws," according to a statement from the Iraqi delegation.
KRG's Interior Minister Karim Sinjari, head of the Kurdish team, expressed his hope they could find solutions to all the problems that were discussed during the meetings that included five focused discussions on the issues of "security, borders, airports, customs, border entries, dams, and oil."
Some of the solutions recommended need the approval of the Iraqi Council of Ministers, according to a statement from the Kurdish delegation released following their visit to Baghdad over the weekend.
The airports were already under ICAA regulation prior to the international flight ban. Director general of Erbil airport, Talar Faiq, told diplomats in the Kurdistan Region last October, "We have always been regulated by the ICAA, we have always been responsive to their requests - only three weeks ago a team from Baghdad came to look at the cargo operation."
The new proposals agreed on Monday appear to increase ICAA direct oversight.
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6:50 pm
No date yet to reopen Kurdish airports
“No date has been set” for the reopening of the two Kurdish airports, KRG acting Transport Minister Mawlud Bawamurad told reporters following the conclusion of the meeting, adding that the Iraqi government has to make a decision on the matter.
He said that there are “few, very few points” of disagreement still to be resolved, including who could fill new roles created in the initial agreement on the administration of the two airports. New laws and regulations will also be needed to accommodate the suggestions, he noted.
Bawamurad explained that there was a “friendly” atmosphere during the meeting and a great deal of understanding between them.
The Iraqi delegation “has the will to solve the outstanding issues” with the Kurdistan Region, he concluded.
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1:39 p.m.
Baghdad, Erbil agree to lift flight ban, pending PM Abadi's approval
Iraq has no problems with reopening the airports, Mawlood Bawamurad, the KRG minister of transportation, told Rudaw.
The airports and other land gates will be run jointly by the Kurdish and central governments. The draft of the discussion will be submitted to Abadi.
The meeting is ongoing, according to Rudaw’s correspondent.
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Iraqi delegation arrives in Erbil to solve flight ban with Kurdistan
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Kurdish officials have welcomed the arrival of a high-level delegation from Baghdad to Erbil on Monday, when both sides are expected to work to finalize a blueprint agreement that would reopen the Kurdistan Region's airports to international travel.
Rudaw's Sanger Abdulrahman reported on Monday morning that the Iraqi delegation has arrived and consists of 15 people.
An Iraqi delegation will meet with the Kurdistan Regional Government's Ministry of the Interior to discuss the mechanisms of resolving the issue of airports and border-crossings.
The agreement will work to “resume activities” to international entry points and then be presented to the Iraqi federal government for approval, according to a statement from a senior Kurdish delegation who visited Baghdad on Saturday.
The two sides have agreed to hold a bilateral meeting in Erbil on Monday to prepare a joint statement that will include “solutions to be reached.”
Iraq introduced a ban on international flights to and from the Kurdistan Region in late September after the Kurdish vote on independence.
Cargo arriving at Erbil airport dropped from 2,500 tons to just 10 after the flight ban, and in Sulaimani it has dropped to almost zero, down from 550 tons, according to the KRG’s Ministry of Interior’s office responsible for humanitarian aid – the Joint Crisis Coordination Centre (JCC).
Kurdish Peshmerga injured in the war to defeat ISIS have been unable to fly directly abroad to seek specialized treatment.
Civilians have also been negatively affected — locals and expats. They must choose to fly through Baghdad or Basrah or take a lengthy land route through Turkey to reach their international destinations by air.
Tourism, which was a growing sector in the Kurdistan Region, has also suffered.
This is a developing story...