Newspapers published in Baghdad today, Saturday, September 9th, focused on developments in the situation in Kirkuk and the dispute between the central government and the Kurdistan region.
Regarding the first topic, Al-Sabah newspaper, published by the Iraqi Media Network, said: “It is expected that the Prime Minister, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Muhammad Al-Sudani, will discuss calming the atmosphere in Kirkuk and the repercussions of the recent events.”
The newspaper indicated that sources from within the coordination framework suggested that Prime Minister Muhammad al-Sudani would raise important points during his meeting with the governorate’s leaders and political forces, in order to prepare plans to maintain peaceful and societal coexistence and prepare the atmosphere in preparation for holding local elections.
It quoted government spokesman Bassem Al-Awadi as saying: “This is preceded by a meeting held by Al-Sudani for the State Administration Alliance to discuss the issue and reach solutions.”
Al-Awadi said: “The situation in Kirkuk is stable, and we aspire in the coming days to more political and security stability after holding negotiation sessions to end the Kirkuk crisis.”
Al-Sabah referred to the decision of the Federal Supreme Court to stop the implementation of the order of the Prime Minister, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces dated 8/25/2023, which included “evacuating the building currently occupied by the advanced headquarters of the Joint Operations Command in Kirkuk Governorate, and the effects that resulted from it.”
Regarding the differences between the center and the region, Al-Zaman newspaper said: “The Kurdistan region’s share in the tripartite budget sparked a crisis of confidence between Baghdad and Erbil after the federal government confirmed the implementation of all its financial obligations towards the region, which had previously expressed regret for violating the constitutional agreements.”
The newspaper noted that government spokesman Bassem Al-Awadi said in quickest response to the region’s statement: “The government has fully implemented its financial obligations to the region, and has made great efforts to provide solutions.”
He added that: “Until the end of last June, the funds owed by the region amounted to more than three times its share, according to the state’s actual spending, while the Kurdistan Regional Government did not hand over oil and non-oil revenues as required by the general budget law,” stressing that: “Despite “If the regional government did not commit, the federal government took a decision not to hold the Iraqi citizens responsible for this, and we worked as permitted by the law and lent to the region until its financial problems resolved.”
Al-Zaman quoted the head of the regional government, Masrour Barzani, as saying: “The federal government’s refusal to send financial dues to the budget constitutes a violation of constitutional agreements and an undermining of confidence.”
Barzani added: “Failing to send dues will harm our citizens and undermine confidence.”
It continued to say: “Observers warned of the return of tension in the relationship between Baghdad and Erbil following significant progress in settling the outstanding disputes. They stressed that the exchange of data between Baghdad and Erbil regarding the region’s share of the budget may reflect negatively on the progress made in settling the outstanding issues, and the nature of the relationship that has witnessed remarkable openness after the formation of al-Sudani's government.”
Source: National Iraqi News Agency