Iraq

(asked on 9th December 2014) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received on the effect of the appointment of Haider al-Abadi as Prime Minister of Iraq on (a) the relationship between the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Iraqi government and (b) the capacity of those governments to lead efforts to combat ISIL.


Answered by
Tobias Ellwood Portrait
Tobias Ellwood
This question was answered on 15th December 2014
We welcome Prime Minister Abadi’s commitment to inclusive politics and national reconciliation. Under his tenure relations between the Government of Iraq (GoI) and Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) have improved significantly, with a landmark deal on oil revenues and budget payments agreed on 2 December. This deal commits the GoI to providing funding to the KRG for the Kurdish Security Forces and will hopefully lay the foundations for increased cooperation between the GoI and KRG in the fight against ISIL.

Prime Minister Abadi has also taken steps to reform and improve the effectiveness of the Iraqi Security Forces, including the dismissal of commanders for corruption, and to create a National Guard force which would bring militia groups under government control.
Reticulating Splines