Baghdad Punishing Kurdish Region

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Transcript

00:00Okay, well, of course you've got, you wear two hats because you worked in central government for many years.

00:05You are, of course, Kurdish and you're in Erbil now.

00:07So, I mean, I'm wondering whether you have a role to play here somehow as a bridge figure

00:12to try to mend these differences and to resolve the situation.

00:18I mean, what role are you playing?

00:21Well, we try to give our good advice to both sides, to be honest with you.

00:27I'm in touch with Iraqi officials in Baghdad and also here with the Kurdish regional governments.

00:34In fact, here Iraq is at a fault.

00:37I mean, let's be very clear, although I'm speaking as a Kurdish, but as an Iraqi also.

00:42I have served in government for many, many years and I know the inner working of the government

00:48and the previous agreements, the previous budget laws that we try to legislate

00:56so we know what is going on.

01:00I mean, these decisions are really politicized.

01:05Their sole aim is to undermine this autonomous region that has been rising up,

01:12has been flourishing, have seen more progress than the rest of the country

01:17because of open policies, of free investments, for free trade.

01:23And really, this is the root cause of the problem.

01:27It's one of – it's not a technical issue about budgetary issues or figures

01:33or providing transparent information.

01:40They have everything, but still it is a political decision to punish the Kurdish people at large.

01:50I mean, even if there are political differences, yes, it could be resolved through dialogue,

01:56but to punish the public servants, which we have over a million,

02:01these people are relying on their payrolls in the government

02:05and all of a sudden it has been suspended.

02:08Not for this month, not for the rest of the year,

02:11which will create a backlash, to be honest with you,

02:14that people here in the region feel that Baghdad government

02:19is not treating us on equal footing with the rest of the Iraqi public servants.

02:25Thank you very much.