The semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)’s recently agreed political deals with Iraq’s federal government are based on shaky grounds, and it was just a matter of time before those opposing them in Baghdad made their moves. That time has now come.
On 25 May, the country’s parliamentary Finance Committee introduced an amendment to the budget legislation that would force Erbil to hand over crude oil production – not just exports – to the federal Ministry of Oil and imposes further restrictions on the KRG’s access to funds obtained from selling it. The move, if approved by parliament, which would hinder Erbil’s gains from the fragile budget agreement reached in mid-March (MEES, 24 March), was mostly championed by anti-KRG MPs within the ruling Shia Coordination Framework (SCF) political bloc. (CONTINUED - 1347 WORDS)
