The Kurdistan Region’s finance minister on Wednesday said that Erbil has implemented all of Baghdad’s budget requests and is awaiting the delivery of funds to begin distributing much-needed civil servants salaries. The Iraqi government earlier this month decided in a cabinet meeting to pay 618 billion dinars (about $471 million) to the KRG. The payment is aimed at covering the Kurdistan Region’s share in the federal budget for the month of January. Despite Baghdad’s decision, the KRG has yet to be paid the sum that will cover the salaries of the Kurdistan Region’s civil servants. The KRG has said that it needs over 900 billion dinars (about $686 million) monthly to cover its payroll, but with its oil exports through Turkey halted since March, it does not have the funds. In September, Erbil and Baghdad struck a deal that saw the federal government agree to loan the KRG 2.1 trillion Iraqi dinars in three 700-billion-dollar (about $534 million) installments, to cover the salaries of the months of September, October, and November.  In December, Iraqi Finance Minister Taif Sami sent a six-point note to Erbil regarding issues with the list of civil servants and retirees of the Region presented by the KRG. The list featured the repetition of employee names and failed to detail employees’ gender, ranks, and salaries, in addition to most of the data being in Kurdish. The finance minister’s comments on the KRG’s list prompted speculations about Sami not approving the payment of Erbil’s January budget share. (ICE AMMAN)

Fonte notizia: Stampa Locale