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Kurdistan
Shiite cleric Ammar al-Hakim speaks in Erbil on February 21, 2021. Photo: screenshot/Rudaw
ERBIL , Kurdistan Region — Shiite cleric and the head of Iraq’s National Wisdom Movement political bloc Ammar al-Hakim has called for a comprehensive and fair agreement between Erbil and Baghdad, speaking of his sadness over the struggle of Kurdish civil servants at an Erbil event on Sunday.
Hakim spoke in the presence of top Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) officials at an event to commemorate his uncle Mohamed Baqir al-Hakim, a moderate senior Shiite cleric who was renowned for his reconciliatory approach towards Kurds and Sunni Arabs.
Shiite, Kurdish, and Sunni politicians came together in Erbil on Sunday to commemorate Hakim who worked closely with Kurdish leaders throughout the second half of the 20th century, until his death in Najaf on 29 August 2003. He died in a blast in which at least 75 others were killed.
In his speech, Hakim stated that "annual negotiations" between Erbil and Baghdad over the budget, oil and border crossings have become "frustrating annual obstacles" for both Arabs and Kurds.
"I am sad to see Kurdish employees waiting months for their salaries, and waiting for a day when they will have stability like all other Iraqi employees." Hakim said, calling for a “comprehensive and fair” agreement with Baghdad that puts a permanent end to disputes between the KRG and Baghdad.
The agreement should specify the responsibilities of all parties and “preserve the rights of all,” he added.
Long-standing financial disputes namely over the Kurdistan Region’s share of the federal budget, have been at the centre of worsening relations between the KRG and Baghdad in the past year.
Years of tensions over the independent oil sales came to a head in 2014 when then-PM Maliki suspended the Kurdistan Region's share of the federal budget – leaving hundreds of thousands of public sector employees unpaid for months. The economic crisis in Iraq and Kurdistan has worsened the situation with the outbreak of the Covid-19 virus and the decline in oil prices on global markets, and civil servants in the Kurdistan Region went unpaid for most of 2020.
Baghdad and Erbil have most recently clashed over the terms of the 2021 federal budget. A number of Shiite politicians and parties have repeatedly stated that they will not agree to the KRG receiving its share of the budget if the regional authority does not hand the entirety of its oil and revenue from borders crossing with Iran and Turkey, rejected by the KRG as "unconstitutional".
KRG officials have travelled to Baghdad numerous times in recent months in an effort to reach an agreement on the bill.
Hakim also denounced last week’s rocket attack on Erbil, noting that it "seriously affects and destabilizes the security of both Kurdistan and Iraq."
Fourteen rockets hit various locations across Erbil on Monday night, killing one person and injuring fourteen.
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