Parliament approves KRG sixth CabinetSaturday, 31 October 2009, 02:01 EDT
Parliament approves KRG sixth Cabinet
Officialsgather for a special Parliament session as the new Kurdish governmentis sworn in on Wednesday, October 28. GLOBE PHOTO/Safin Hamed
By Ako Muhammed
The Kurdish Globe
Massoud Barzani: "Protect the achievements" of the previous Cabinet.
Kurdistan Region Parliament on Wednesday voted to approveBarham Salih as the Prime Minister for the sixth Kurdistan RegionalGovernment (KRG) Cabinet. The Parliament also, with majority of votes,approved Azad Barwari as Deputy Prime Minister and allowed immunity tothe Cabinet's ministers. The vote came in the absence of a group ofParliament members who left the session objecting to the voting system.
This Cabinet, consisting of 19 ministries, is led by the KurdistaniList in Parliament; nearly one-third of the ministries are taken byother blocs. Kurdistani List is an alliance of the two Kurdish majorparties, Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) led by Masoud Barzani, andthe Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) led by Iraqi President JalalTalabani; the List holds 59 seats in Parliament.
The other parties participating in this alliance government includeTurkmen blocs, Christian blocs, Islamic Movement, the Socialist Party,and the Communist Party.
The Goran (Change) List, which holds 25 seats in Parliament, aswell as the Kurdistan Islamic Union with six seats and Islamic Group inKurdistan with four seats, didn't join the government and remained asopposition in Parliament.
Salih reveals his agenda
The new KRG Prime Minister delivered a speech addressingParliament, saying that allowing immunity to his Cabinet "of coursewill encourage us to serve and initiate in applying the government'sagenda-of renewal and reconstruction."
Salih said that his Cabinet follows "an active government" ofNechirvan Barzani, who led the unification of the duel administrationsin the region and now "proudly leaves." Salih also praised thedevelopments achieved during the past few years in the fields ofservices, providing electricity, drinking water, and fuel, and in thefield of oil investments and economic progress.
The new Prime Minister called on ex-premier Barzani to provide him with "continued supports and advice."
Salih announced that the new government and Minister of JusticeRa'uf Rasheed will work on a program, suggested by the ex-premier, tofight the most controversial problem of "corruption."
The government's success lies in "the fight against corruption, lawsovereignty, and transparency," stated Salih, explaining that suchcases cannot be dealt with "in a day." He also called on establishing atransparency board to investigate parallel with the Parliamentaryobserving committee government performance and to uncover officials'wealth.
He also announced plans to totally unify the Peshmarga and securityagencies, and to terminate aspects of duel administration. This Cabinetwill work seriously "for removing parties' interferences withingovernment affairs," he added.
The government finds its success in coordination among Parliamentblocs, said Salih. "Let the opposition, as a new move, in Parliamentnot hinder government with negligible issues. But they can be a modelfor real administrative reform in favor of preceding the political anddemocratic process." He demanded both government and the oppositionstay as one front when it comes to defending national achievements.
Talabani lends support to new KRG
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani congratulated the new government andexpressed his support. President Talabani said, in his letter sent fromBaghdad and read by Kurdistan Parliament Deputy Speaker Arsalan Baiiz,that this government faces a historical responsibility to meet thepromises given by the governing Kurdistani List to the region's people.
"Your government must serve Kurdistan people regardless of anypolitical and religious differences," Talabani said in the letter."Another duty of this government is to seriously combat corruption andactivate the slow sides of the government. The government must reply tothe entire life necessities of our people."
Barzani guides new Cabinet
Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani delivered a speechadvising the new government on several points and once again defendedthe Kirkuk issue.
Referring to some blocs in Iraqi Parliament, Barzani stated thatsome groups made the Kirkuk issue an excuse to hinder the elections,expected in January 2010. He described claims of an increase inKirkuk's population as "false and baseless."
"Their excuses are far from reality. We want the election to beheld on time," said Barzani, noting that the Kurds wont object toinspecting voters' names-a demand of Kirkuk Arabs and Turkmen-if theinspection is applied in every suspected province and not only inKirkuk.
"This is Kurdistan's attitude. Let the whole world know, we'llnever accept a special case to be imposed in Kirkuk; let what happenshappen," he stated.
In his message to the new Cabinet, President Barzani emphasizedthat in the coming four years "strategies must be applied for achievingtransparency?" and "authorities of justice must be independent and anactive general prosecutor to be appointed." He also emphasized creatinga tight "relation between people and government."
"Differences in viewpoints are democratic and must be respected.Therefore and at the current sensitive time, we are in much need ofunity and of brotherhood among us."
He called for improving the living situation of Kurdistan Peshmargasoldiers and also called to unify Peshmarga and security forces withina regular governmental system and that the "political parties shouldnot own Peshmarga of their own."
No political party should have representations abroad, and allrelations must pass through the regional government, said Barzani."This includes the KDP and PUK as well." Furthermore, he requiredbetter living conditions for families of martyrs in the region.
On relations with the federal government in Baghdad, PresidentBarzani assured that they are "committed to the Constitution andfederalism in Iraq."
About issues of Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution, KurdistanPeshmarga, oil policy, and federalism in Iraq, which are consideredsuspended issues between Erbil and Baghdad, Barzani assured, "Vianegotiation these problems must be solved. We are not ready to giveup." For the Kurdistan Region oil project, Barzani advised the sixthCabinet to protect those achievements, to continue the same policy, andnot to fall under any affective pressure.
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