ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The Kurdistan Region must forge and maintain a strong relationship with the Iraqi federal government to reach “durable agreements” over outstanding issues with Baghdad, British Consul General to Erbil James Thornton has told Rudaw.
“Clearly you need good relations with the neighbours … it particularly needs friends in the south [of Iraq], so a strong relationship with Baghdad is definitely in the KRI [Kurdistan Region of Iraq] ’s interests,” Thornton said on Rudaw TV’s Hevpeyvin (interview) show, recorded October 29.
Iraq and the Kurdistan Region have been at loggerheads over issues including independent Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) oil sales, Baghdad’s cut of the Region’s federal budget share, and the status of disputed territories – especially Kirkuk – for years.
Relations have improved under the administration of Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi. However, nationwide unrest has led Iraq’s premier to say he will resign from his role once a replacement for him is found.
As such, there is a short window of opportunity for the KRG to “finalize a deal” and form “durable agreements” with the Prime Minister before he is replaced, including on the budget share.
“In general terms, there needs to be a strong understanding with the federal capital,”posited Thornton, who was appointed as Consul General in July of this year.
Abdul-Mahdi’s apparent will to resign office comes in response to protests that have rocked Iraq’s central and southern cities for over a month.
Initially taking to the streets in discontent over corruption, lack of services, unemployment and corruption, protests evolved to include demands for the overthrow of government and constitutional amendments.
Security forces have responded to protests with lethal force, including the use of live ammunition rounds and military-grade tear gas. Over 250 protestors have died since protests began on October 1, 2019.
In an attempt to placate frustrated Iraqis, Abdul-Mahdi proposed his early exit from the role, a series of socio-economic reforms, and changes to Iraq’s 2005 constitution.
The prospect of constitutional amendment has worried some Kurds, who believe the 2005 constitution exacted some progress for Kurdish rights in the country in the aftermath of Baathist rule.
President of the Kurdistan Region Nechirvan Barzani hosted Kurdish party leaders and Iraqi president Barham Salih for talks on Tuesday to establish a unified position to challenge potentially adverse constitutional amendments.
The Consul General agreed Kurdish concerns would need to be addressed before any constitutional change is implemented.
“There is a balance within Iraq. Kurdistan Region has a set of institutions which is guaranteed under the current constitution, and there are all sorts of other arrangements guaranteeing democracy,” argued Thornton.
“Any changes to that balance need to be properly thought through and agreed by Iraq as a whole, including the Kurdistan Region.”
Good relations are also necessary so that Baghdad and Erbil are best able to carry out joint security operations in the disputed territories to snuff out remnants of Islamic State (ISIS), in line with currently dormant security agreements between the two governments.
When ISIS advanced on Iraq's disputed territories in 2014, the Iraqi Army retreated and the Kurdish Peshmerga moved in - causing the virtual collapse of a prior joint security agreement.
In response to the Kurdistan Region's September 25 2017 independence referendum, Iraq's army, federal police, and other security forces led an offensive to retake Kirkuk and other contested areas, leading to a Peshmerga withdrawal.
Iraqi forces currently control most of the disputed territories. However, clashes between the Peshmerga and federal forces resulted in the demarcation of a no-man's land between the territories they respectively controlled. Security vacuums vulnerable to ISIS activity are now found in areas where no military force control is present.
Kurdish leadership have previously called for the re-activation of the joint security mechanism, but has yet to reach an agreement with Baghdad.
While pleased former ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi no longer poses a threat after his death in a US special forces-led raid in northwest Syria last month, Thornton remained wary of a resurgence of the group in Iraq.
“The risk is that Daesh [ISIS] is just waiting and in the right time will increase its activity. They are particularly present in the disputed territories, and that is of great concern to us,” the Consul General said.
“So the joint security mechanism, which has been existence for many years now, needs to be reactivated, and those joint operations need to happen,” he asserted.
Subtitles by Sarkawt Mohammed
