ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) met with top Kurdish officials in Erbil on Sunday to discuss, among other topics, the ongoing financial negotiations between Baghdad and Erbil, in particular the dispute over the Kurdistan Region's share in the federal budget for 2021.
Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations in Iraq, met with Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani, and expressed her hope that he would "have a greater role in the success of the Erbil-Baghdad dialogue,” according to an official statement from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
The two discussed the political, security and economic situation in the region, along with other topics including the COVID-19 pandemic, Iraq’s upcoming elections, the conditions of IDPs and refugees, as well as the fears of the re-emergence of the Islamic State (ISIS) group.
Plasschaert met with Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region Masrour Barzani, during which the Kurdistan Region's share in the federal budget for 2021 was also discussed.
After months of wrangling, discussions over Iraq's 2021 budget are coming to a close. The Kurdistan Region's share should be finalized within days and the bill put to a vote in parliament by the end of the week.
Iraqi lawmakers have criticized the Kurdistan Region's independent oil sales and want the federal government to have exclusive control.
PM Barzani on Wednesday rejected demands by Baghdad to hand over the entirety of its all oil and non-oil revenues of the Kurdistan region to the federal government, stating that these demands are unconstitutional.
"There are several proposals regarding Kurdistan Region's share in the bill, including handing half of non-oil revenues, along with 250,000 barrels per day, but we will never accept handing all of our revenues," Barzani said in a press conference reported by Iraqi state media.
Plasschaert and the premier also discussed the importance of Shingal's agreement implementation, in order to "bring peace and stability to the region," according to the statement.
After the territorial defeat of the Islamic State (ISIS) group in Shingal, multiple armed groups with different allegiances have operated in the northern Iraq region. The unstable security situation coupled with a lack of reconstruction of war-damaged infrastructure has hindered the return of most of the local population who fled ISIS in 2014.
Under a landmark 2020 deal between Erbil and Baghdad, security for Shingal is an exclusive federal responsibility and all other armed forces were ordered to leave. But Barzani said this week that armed groups have not withdrawn and the agreement has not been fully implemented.
Plasschaert also met with Masoud Barzani, the head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), to discuss Erbil-Baghdad relations, according to a tweet from UNAMI.
