MESOP NEWS MESSAGE : KURDISH AIRPORTS TO BE OPENED SOON / KURDISH PARTIES DIVIDED

Kurdistani opposition parties met with Iraq’s Abadi, Maliki in Baghdad

6 Jan 2018 – BAGHDAD,— A mutual delegation representing three Kurdish political parties issued a statement on Thursday while in Baghdad where they met Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.The delegation includes senior officials from Kurdistan Islamic Group (KIG), Change Movement (Gorran) and Coalition for Democracy and Justice (CDJ), three parties who oppose the Kurdistan regional Government (KRG).The KIG and Gorran are parties who recently withdrew from the KRG and the Coalition for Democracy and Justice is a newly-established party.

The delegation on Friday also met with the powerful Iraqi Vice President Nuri al-Maliki.Maliki said on Friday the Kurdish nation must not pay the price of the mistakes of some Kurdish leaders.Following the meeting, Maliki told reporters that there is a need to build a coalition between the Kurdistan region and Iraq.

“The stability of the Kurdistan region is important for us, and we don’t want the issues between Baghdad and Erbil to deepen,” he said.Ahmad Haji Rashid, a Komal member of the delegation, told Rudaw that their meeting with VP Maliki was “good.”“Maliki said…the airports will be reopened in the near future,” Rashid quoted Maliki as saying.

Baghdad imposed the flight ban in late-September on the Kurdistan region’s two international airports, just four days after the failed Massoud Barzani-managed Kurdistan independence referendum.The joint delegation said in the statement that Abadi vowed to pay salaries of the Kurdistan region’s public servants after they complete an audit of their numbers.It is set to hold meetings in Baghdad with some other officials including, Iraqi President, party and government officials as well as the parliament leadership.“We discussed [with Abadi] ways to bring about real partnership in political decision making and ways to find a fundamental resolution for all of the issues through serious dialogue between Erbil and Baghdad on basis of constitution,” the statement read.

Kurdish delegation met with Iraqi PM Abadi

KIG, Gorran and CDJ said they demanded Abadi to prevent voter fraud and illegal voting during the upcoming elections in the Kurdistan region and Iraq.A lawmaker from Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU) Bahzad Zebari expressed concerns in December that among eligible Kurdish citizens, as many as 615,000 more people are registered in the Kurdistan region than are alive or legally entitled to vote.

U.S. pleased to see Kurdish delegation visiting Baghdad

The United States was pleased to see a Kurdish delegation visiting Baghdad to hold talks with Iraqi officials, a spokesperson said.U.S. State Department’s Spokesperson, Heather Nauert said during a press conference on Thursday that the U.S. was pleased to see some Kurdish and Iraqi government’s figures sitting down to discuss the issues between the region and Iraq.“That proves that the Iraqi Government certainly does not need the U.S. Government to help them hold hands … we’re really happy to see that those conversations are really starting to take place,” Nauert added.

The United States continues to urge the Kurdistan Region and Iraq to hold talks to reach “an understanding over any outstanding issues that are in accordance with Iraqi law,” she continued.Relations between Erbil and Baghdad hit lowest in the aftermath of the controversial referendum held by the Kurdistan region, which saw 92.7 percent of voters say “yes” to independence.

Iraq says audit in Kurdistan Region’s payroll lists close to end

The government of Iraq said audit of the Kurdistan Region’s payroll lists are close to its final stages, a spokesman said on Friday.

Iraqi Government’s Spokesman, Saad Hadithi told the Voice of America that the audit process in the region’s payroll lists is to assure that salary payments are to “real employees” working in the official institutions in the Kurdistan Region.“We try to abide by the payment of the region’s employees’ salaries similar to how we pay salaries to employees in other Iraqi cities,” Hadithi added. Regarding mechanisms and methods of salary payment, Hadithi said the government will also try to find a legal mechanism to pay the salaries of the region’s employees.Salaries for KRG employees have been plagued by delays since 2014 and Kurdish authorities have repeatedly said they cannot make payments due to a number of crises affecting the region. www.mesop.de