Re: Kirkuk and Oil Revenues of Kurdistan Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament Issues Two Directives

Two directives were issued by Mohammed al-Halboosi, the Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament, regarding the events in Kirkuk and the oil revenues of Kurdistan.

As part of Al-Halboosi's instructions, the Security and Defense Committee was tasked with investigating the events in Kirkuk and presenting its findings to Parliament.

A protest took place by Kurds on Sept. 2 against the closure of the Kirkuk-Erbil road by the supporters of the Popular Mobilization Forces after the latter opposed the handover of the KDP headquarters on Aug. 28, as mandated by Prime Minister Shia al-Sudani. Four Kurds were killed, and fifteen injured after the PMF opened fire on the protesters.

Halboosi also instructed the finance committee to host both the federal and Kurdistan Regional Finance Ministers to discuss oil revenues and the transfer of financial entitlements to the Kurdistan Region.

A loan of 500 billion Iraqi dinars (more than $384 million) was sent to the Kurdistan Region by the Iraqi Council of Ministers on Sept. 3 to pay salaries; however, Peshawa Hawramani, spokesperson for the Kurdistan Region, stated at a press conference on Monday that the federal government had unilaterally made the decision without consulting the KRG.

KRG Finance Minister Awat Noori said on Sept. 4, that the amount of money the federal government will send, with 320 billion Iraqi dinars in domestic revenue, will not cover all salaries.

Iraq's budget is divided into three parts as defined by Iraqi Federal General Budget Law No. 13 of 2023: the general, development, and emergency budgets. General budgets cover salaries, wages, and allowances, while development budgets cover public investments, and emergency budgets cover disasters caused by natural or human activity. Health, education, and defense are some of the sectors that receive budget allocations.