Kurdish leaders in Erbil: United front against salary crisis
Senior Kurdish officials held a joint meeting in Erbil on Monday to address the salary crisis and coordinate their stance toward Baghdad.
Shafaq News correspondent reported that the political bureaus of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) gathered in the capital, where KDP Leader Masoud Barzani headed his party's delegation, and PUK President Bafel Talabani led the opposing bloc.
Discussions centered on forming a unified position on unresolved disputes with the federal government, most notably the delay in disbursing public salaries to employees in the Kurdistan Region.
Barzani had said that the Region had granted Baghdad a final opportunity to resolve the issue through dialogue, emphasizing that 'mutual understanding remains the preferred path.'
Notably, Iraq's Federal Supreme Court postponed a hearing on a lawsuit seeking to compel the federal government to release the delayed salaries. The session was moved to July 28.
Tensions escalated in May after the federal Finance Ministry halted budget transfers to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), citing shortfalls in oil revenue and overspending.
Since then, the Iraqi government has made salary payments conditional on the KRG's compliance with budget terms, including oil transfers through state pipelines and the submission of audited financial records.
The freeze has left more than 1.2 million public employees without pay, prompting widespread protests and strikes across the Region as civil servants and educators call for immediate resolution.
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