AM:08:50:16/05/2022
1640 View
+
-
SULAIMANI — The
US Ambassador to Iraq, Matthew Tueller, said during a conversation with
journalists in the Kurdistan Region on Sunday (May 15) that the absence of a
law on energy resources and revenue sharing was responsible for the recent
tension between Erbil and Baghdad.
Tueller said
a law on hydrocarbons and revenue sharing was never implemented following the
creation of the Iraqi constitution in 2005. He called for a legislative
solution to settle the dispute between the Kurdistan Region and the Iraqi
federal government.
He stated
the current caretaker government had limited authority to deal with the
situation, which could be manipulated by parties or individuals, and said a
government in Baghdad was necessary to resolve the issue rather than political
parties.
The
ambassador said a constitutional process was also supposed to address the issue
of areas disputed between the Kurdistan Region and the federal government. He expressed
concern over the armed militias operating in Iraq, which he said had sought
legitimacy from the government amid the conflict with the Islamic State (ISIS).
"No state
can be a normal state where you have weapons and armed groups that are outside
the authority and control of the state,” Tueller said. "This is highlighted in
what has been going on in Sinjar for some time,” he added, referring to the
recent clashes between the Iraqi army and the Sinjar Resistance Units (YBS) in
the district.
Speaking on
tension between the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of
Kurdistan (PUK), Tueller said stability should be preserved and he added he did
not believe it was unhealthy for there to be competition between the two
parties.
He also
pointed out the safety and stability of the Kurdistan Region, referring to its security
as "the envy of Iraq.”
Tueller said
he was finishing the end of his term as the US ambassador in Baghdad and his
replacement, Alina Romanowski, will arrive in June.
(NRT Digital
Media)