Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (cabinet.gov.krd) – The Kurdistan Regional Government responded to statements by Iraqi Prime Minister, Haider Al-Abadi, during his weekly press conference, in which he threatened Kurdistan and made new accusations against it.

Below is Kurdistan Regional Government’s response:

Iraq Prime Minister Mr. Haider al-Abadi continues with unconstitutional and politically motivated decisions and collective punishment against the people of Iraqi Kurdistan. During his weekly press conference on October 10th 2017 he once again expressed disrespect for revered values of the people of Iraqi Kurdistan, threatened to attack, and also announced new accusations. With our respect to Mr. Haider Al-Abadi and his supporters, towards ensuring the situation is more properly understood, we find it necessary to offer a response to the Iraqi and international public opinion.

First: We are pleased to hear that Prime Minister al-Abadi is fulfilling his promise to tackle corruption, a promise the Kurdistan parliamentary bloc and other blocs asked him to do at the time of his appointment. The Kurdistan Regional Government has, indeed, helped Mr. Abadi fight corruption and will continue to do so.

According to Transparency International’s latest report, Iraq is among the top ten most corrupt countries, ranking 166th of 176 countries. Despite receiving 850 billion US dollars from oil sales since 2003, the Iraqi people are among most disadvantaged in the world with unnecessarily poor public services and basic infrastructure.  As Prime Minister al-Abadi was speaking during his press conference, Iraqi lawmakers, some close to him, were discussing the disappearance of tens of billions of dollars from the country’s border crossings and airports, in addition to daily oil smuggling of tens of thousands of barrels, in the areas under the Iraqi federal authorities control.  The Kurdistan Region paid a huge price because of the instability in Iraq and its place in the list of the world’s most corrupt countries. Yet, the KRG is ready to help the Iraqi Government in combatting corruption and improving its reputation and rank on the world stage.

Regarding the Kurdistan Region’s oil sector, the KRG has contracted two top-level international companies to audit oil production and sales. We welcome joint cooperation and investigation with the Federal Government of Iraq in monitoring and auditing KRG and Iraqi oil sector revenues since 2003.  According to Article 106 of the Iraq Constitution, a joint public commission should have been established to monitor and audit the allocation of all federal revenues and international loans to guarantee a fair distribution to the regions and governorates. The Kurdistan Region and most of Iraq’s Governorates have failed to receive fair shares of revenues and loans.  As the KRG has always expressed its wish to cooperate, there is no need for such provocations through the media by suggesting that the Prime Minister has asked to monitor the accounts of the Kurdistan Region officials. We believe these statements are purposefully directed at the internal Iraqi political situation as related to upcoming elections.

Second: The decisions taken by Iraq Council of Ministers and the Iraqi National Security Council and disseminated to neighboring countries are primarily political in nature and intended to, with foreign countries assistance, collectively punish the people of Kurdistan.  According to the Iraq Constitution, these decisions are unconstitutional because they are a direct request to foreign countries to punish the people of Iraq. Deploying Iraqi armed forces to other countries to intimidate and threaten to punish citizens of Iraq contradicts the Iraq Constitution.  Iraqi armed forces, with the support of Turkish and Iranian forces, held joint exercises in preparation of taking control of international border points. Prime Minister al-Abadi affirmed they have sent officials to take over the border points. These steps are significant breaches of the Iraq Constitution.

If the Iraq Council of Representatives wants to uphold its responsibility as a custodian of the Iraq Constitution, it should be forthright in speaking up against these violations. The Iraq Council of Representatives and the Iraqi military should recuse themselves from participating in issues of a partisan nature pertaining to the domestic political situation as stipulated in the Iraq Constitution.
Prime Minister al-Abadi has taken these decisions in violation of the cardinal principle of consensus for running the country, which explicitly contradicts the Constitution. There are Kurdistan members and other Iraqi members of the Iraq Council of Ministers who disapprove of these decisions.

Imposing an embargo on the people of the Kurdistan Region has adversely affected other Iraqi citizens as well. Iraqi security checkpoints prevent food and other basic necessities originating in the Kurdistan Region from being transported to other parts of Iraq. As a result, food prices outside the Kurdistan Region have significantly increased. Further, Baghdad has deliberately stopped kerosene supply to areas in which the Referendum was held as well as instituting a ban on international flights from Erbil and Slemani airports.

According to inquiries, these decisions have been personally taken by Prime Minister al-Abadi. Authority to discuss and negotiate with the Kurdistan Region has been withdrawn from the Iraqi Ministry of Transportation and Communication. The refusal of Prime Minister al-Abadi to engage in discussion and negotiation towards resolving such issues has harmed the people of the Kurdistan Region, which contradicts the responsibility of government to serve all its citizens.

The ban on civilian commercial international flights to and from the Kurdistan Region is a discriminatory move by the Iraqi Government not only against the people of the Kurdistan, but also against all travelers to and from Iraq. The airports of the Kurdistan Region perform no less on par with - in fact, they exceed - the performance of other airports in Iraq in complying with international requirements and best practices.  In order to end collective punishment against the people of Iraqi Kurdistan, we once again request Prime Minister al-Abadi that we are ready for dialogue, cooperation regarding border points, domestic trade, provision of services to citizens, banking, and airport operation in accordance with the Iraq Constitution.

Third: On numerous occasions, Prime Minister al-Abadi has threatened Peshmerga Forces to not intercept or block Iraqi armed forces in the so-called disputed territories. We declare to the world that after these threats, all fault will lay with Prime Minister al-Abadi as commander of the armed forces of Iraq in case any security disruptions occur in these safe and secure areas and Prime Minister al-Abadi’s statements regarding the deployment of Iraqi armed forces on the borders and in the cities are unconstitutional.
Prime Minister al-Abadi knows very well that Peshmerga forces with limited weaponry but unshaken will protected Kirkuk and other areas with their blood after Iraqi forces fled leaving their weaponry, including heavy weapons, to Daesh. Later, in the presence of international coalition forces, an agreement was reached between Peshmerga and Iraqi forces to allow Iraqi forces into areas secured against Daesh by Peshmerga forces. With Coalition support, Iraqi forces backed by Peshmerga forces began the operations.

All segments of society in those areas attest to being fairly and equally treated by Peshmerga forces. This contrasts sharply with reports by international organizations of numerous cases of abduction, disappearance, and summary executions in areas under the authority of Iraqi forces. The Popular Mobilization Unit, PMU, has been condemned for such actions, while the enacted law of PMU states that Haidar Abadi is the Commander of the PMU. Prime Minister al-Abadi says that we stated we will draw the borders by blood. This is untrue and misleading. Leaders and officials of Kurdistan have clearly explained how the Peshmerga forces with their blood protected the borders, cities and villages, and also protected peace, coexistence and civilization. Peshmerga forces prevented Daesh takeover and destruction of Kirkuk and many other towns in Mosul, Diyala, and Tikrit provinces.

It is incumbent on Prime Minister al-Abadi to pursue punishment of those who caused communities to be unnecessarily damaged and destroyed, massacred numerous civilians, recklessly destroyed major areas in wanton acts of retaliation instead of punishing those who protected many communities and civilization itself.  The political leadership of Iraqi Kurdistan and the KRG have declared multiple times that nothing unconstitutional and undemocratic can be imposed on any area. For this reason, they are always ready for dialogue.

Fourth: Prime Minister Al-Abadi accuses the Kurdistan Regional Government, KRG, and its officials of encouraging neighbouring countries against Iraq and that the delegation of the Kurdistan Region has not been serious in negotiations prior to the Referendum. He also reveals that the decisions he made against the people of Iraqi Kurdistan were discussed with Iran and Turkey, in secret talks, two months prior to the Referendum.  Prime Minister Al-Abadi knows, to which neighbouring countries can attest, that the KRG has exerted great efforts to help normalisation of the relations between Turkey and the Iraqi Government, and encouraged other neighbouring countries to improve their relations with Baghdad.

Regarding discussions with Iraq, we reiterate that we have always been, and continue to be, willing to engage in serious dialogue. It was the Iraqi Government’s inconsiderate attitude that moved the Kurdistan Region to hold the Referendum. Prime Minister Al-Abadi held secret meetings with neighbouring countries two months prior to the Referendum. While he continues doing so, he rejects engaging in discussions with the Kurdistan Region. In the meantime, welcoming Ayatollah Sistani’s call for open dialogue, we declared we are ready to conduct unconditional talks with the Iraqi Government to resolve all the issues.

Fifth: Regarding Daesh fighters fleeing Hawija, Prime Minister Al-Abadi accuses Peshmerga forces of imprisoning them in Kirkuk where they cannot be interrogated. Prime Minister Al- Abadi has charged the Iraqi Ministry of Interior with the interrogation of detained Daesh fighters. This is a groundless accusation because KRG Peshmerga and security forces, as part of the coalition forces fighting Daesh, have never hindered interrogation by either the coalition forces or the Iraqi Government. In fact, the KRG has shown vigorous willingness to fully cooperate in order that the massacres committed by Daesh are recognized as genocide by the international community.

In a provocative move against Peshmerga forces, Prime Minister Al-Abadi has violated his agreements with the KRG by unilaterally initiating the Hawija offensive. The Peshmerga forces have, however, cooperated fully with Iraqi forces and refrained from any action that would inhibit the effectiveness of the offensive.

Famous for their willingness to protect all the Iraqi communities and abiding by the rules of war, many civilians from provinces of Mosul, Kirkuk, Diyala, and Tikrik sought refuge by fleeing to Peshmerga forces instead of Iraqi forces and Popular Mobilisation Units. Over two million people, mostly Sunni Arabs from Anbar, Mosul, Tikrit, and Diyala areas have sought refuge in Kirkuk and in cities and towns in Kurdistan Region.

Prior to the rise of Daesh, tens of thousands of victims of sectarian war fled to the Kurdistan Region and to date there has been no incident against them. The people of Kurdistan have treated them as their family. Accommodating and assisting this extraordinary number of displaced people has been a very heavy burden on the Kurdistan Region to which the Iraqi Government has been extremely unhelpful. Due to the influx of refugees and internally displaced people, the population of the Kurdistan Region has increased by 28 percent.

Due to the sectarian policy, the proclaimed civilian state has faded and the Constitution of Iraq has been largely ignored. The extreme brutal killing of the heads of families in front of their children, because of their sectarian background, has shattered Iraqi society. Millions of Sunnis were forced to flee to safe areas in neighbouring countries and the Kurdistan Region. It was this sectarian policy which paved the way for the rise of Al Qaeda and later Daesh. According to a survey published by the United Nations this month, due to Daesh and the war against it, 5.4 million were displaced of which three million have yet to return to their homes.

Sixth: For some time, Prime Minister Al-Abadi and the Iraqi Government media have deliberately avoid using the term ‘Kurdistan’ - instead, they say “north of Iraq”. This is against the Constitution and an insult and provocation against the people of Kurdistan. Indeed, this indicates no lesson has been learned from the genocide against the people of Iraqi Kurdistan and the sectarian war that has left Iraq devastated. The term ‘Kurdistan’ is prohibited, and through political and unfair decisions the people of Kurdistan are collectively punished with an embargo and other sanctions.

Lastly, we would like to tell Prime Minister Al-Abadi that resolving issues cannot be achieved by imposing embargos or other collective punishments, with the assistance of neighbouring countries, but carry grave implications.
The breach in the principle of power-sharing and abandon of the principle of consensus in decision-making, two principles of the Iraqi Constitution, have devastated Iraq. Failure to promote and adhere to these principals has led to the loss of thousands of lives, displacement of millions of Iraqis, and the destruction of tens of thousands of families.

With all this in mind, we should look forward to serious discussions between the Kurdistan Regional Government and Iraqi Federal Government, and among the political factions of  Kurdistan and Iraq in order to settle all issues.