Shafaq News/ The postponement of Saturday’stechnical meeting between the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and thePatriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), to form the 10th Kurdistan RegionalGovernment cabinet, was linked to “outstanding financial disputes” betweenBaghdad and the Kurdistan Region, according to sources.
The meeting, whichwas set to be the fifth round of technical discussions between the two parties,has been postponed due to the absence of key members from both committees, whoare currently in Baghdad as part of the government delegation negotiatingKurdistan’s financial entitlements, particularly the ongoing public sectorsalary crisis, sources told Shafaq News.
According to the sources, thetechnical discussions aimed to finalize a draft agreement to be submitted toboth parties’ leaderships in pursuit of a comprehensive political deal.However, the absence of crucial committee members from both sides resulted inthe postponement.
The PUK’s technical delegationincludes Rewaz Faeq, Shalawla Sheikh Salah, and Amanj Raheem, with Raheemcurrently in Baghdad, while the KDP’s technical committee consists of PishtiwanSadiq, Dilshad Shahab, and Umed Sabah, with Sabah also in Baghdad. Raheem andSabah’s absence prevented the meeting from proceeding as planned.
The technical discussions areexpected to be rescheduled once the government delegation returns from Baghdad,as both parties continue efforts to bridge political differences and resolveoutstanding issues.
Reaching a swift agreement betweenthe two ruling parties of Kurdistan and forming its 10th cabinet remainscomplicated due to ongoing political disagreements between the KDP and PUK,with repeated delays in negotiations further adding to the challenges – in additionto financial disputes between the Kurdistan Region and the federal government, accordingto political analysts.