Iraq, KRG deal awaits PM approval

ARBIL - Anatolia News Agency

An agreement between the central Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) after days of tension in northern Iraq has been submitted to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for approval.

Both sides agreed to discuss pulling back troops from an area in which they both claim jurisdiction.

Baghdad and the KRG sent thousands of troops into the oil-rich territories along their contested internal border last week, raising the stakes in a long-running row over land and oil rights. Relations between Baghdad and the KRG have been fraught since the establishment of the Tigris Operation Command covering the territory of northern Iraq.

“We are waiting for approval from the prime minister. So far we have not received any notice over the 14-article agreement,” said Major Halgurd Hikmet Mala Ali, who attended meetings on behalf of the KRG earlier this week. “If he does not approve the agreement then we will return without any results.”

One of the articles of the agreement includes the abolishment of the Tigris Operation Command, but Ali said they were not sure whether al-Maliki would add reservations to that article.