KRG vows to disclose Maliki’s secret files

ARBIL

Iraqi parliament speaker Osama al-Nujaifi (L) speaks with the president of the autonomous Kurdish region Masoud Barzani (R) in Arbil on April 28. AFP photo

Kurdistan Regional Government President Masoud Barzani’s spokesperson has announced in a statement on its official website that they will soon disclose a number of top secret documents about Iraqi President Nouri al-Maliki.

The spokesperson said they could not tolerate al-Maliki’s statements, which included hatred and slander against them: “Al-Maliki announced himself as the protector of the constitution, national unity, and the Kurds in Iraq by blaming the others for the troubles in Iraq, even though they were caused by him, in his interview with NRT [a Kurdish satellite channel] … Although we have answered these allegations from various platforms, al-Maliki continued his slanders toward us. From now on, we will tell the people the plans made by the al-Maliki bureau. We will declare top secret documents, despite special contracts.”

Al-Maliki blamed Barzani of acting independently and said that he treats them “as if Iraq is tied to Kurdistan” rather than vice versa in an interview with NRT channel, Doğan news agency reported yesterday. Al-Maliki also said the payment of Peshmergas, who are protecting the north Kurdish region, is included in the 17 percent of budget allocated to the region, adding that asking for extra payment for them is unconstitutional. Underlining that Kirkuk is part of Iraq, al-Maliki said that “nobody can say that Kirkuk belongs to Kurds, Arabs, or Turkmens.” Al-Maliki also claimed that the Kurdish region has become the base of terrorists and corrupt people.