Qubad Talabani: Baghdad Seeks to Eliminate Kurdistan Region's Constitutional Status

Peregraf

Kurdistan Region Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani has warned that the current demands from the Iraqi federal government amount to an attempt to abolish the constitutional status of the Kurdistan Region, calling the negotiations with Baghdad "dangerous" and "complicated."

In an interview with local media outlet Mic, Talabani said: “Our goal is an agreement, and there is no alternative to an agreement. But what is now on the table, and what Baghdad is demanding, is nothing short of the elimination of something called the Kurdistan Region.”

He emphasized that the Iraqi federal government’s proposals seek to drastically reduce the Kurdistan Region’s constitutional powers and dismantle its governing structure.

“Baghdad does not accept what we have proposed. Their demands are a violation of the constitution and aim to undermine the prestige, power, and very existence of the Kurdistan Region,” he warned.

Talabani expressed concern that Baghdad is pursuing a step-by-step strategy: “They started with salaries, then moved on to oil, and next it will be the airports, border crossings, and internal revenues. Tomorrow, we may wake up to find that the Kurdistan Region no longer exists.”

Civil servants in the Kurdistan Region have yet to receive their May and June salaries. The Iraqi government has conditioned the release of funds on the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) compliance with federal budget terms, including the handover of oil revenues and an increase in non-oil income.

On Monday, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani echoed similar concerns, stating that the root of the dispute with Baghdad is political. “Our problem with the federal government is political, not technical,” he said during a meeting with Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) members. “The KRG delegation is currently in Baghdad to resolve the issue of salary cuts as soon as possible.”

Barzani reaffirmed that Iraq is a federal state, and the constitutional rights of the Kurdistan Region must be upheld. “The Region will never give up any of its constitutional rights,” he stressed.