Algeria: Political Figures to Lead Government’s Dialogue with Protest Movement

Protesters against Bouteflika’s regime (AFP)
Protesters against Bouteflika’s regime (AFP)
TT
20

Algeria: Political Figures to Lead Government’s Dialogue with Protest Movement

Protesters against Bouteflika’s regime (AFP)
Protesters against Bouteflika’s regime (AFP)

Algerian activists from dozens of associations and organizations held several meetings which resulted in suggesting various figures to mediate the upcoming rounds of dialogue between the government and the protest movement.

Head of Civil Forum for Change, Abdul Rahman Arar, announced at a press conference a list of 13 figures who are “capable of leading mediation and dialogue.”

Interim President Abdul Qadir bin Saleh called for the dialogue 10 days ago, as previously called by the army chief of staff Lieutenant General Ahmed Gaid Salah.

The list includes prominent social figures, most notably former Foreign Minister and 1999 presidential candidate Ahmed Taleb Ibrahimi, former prime ministers Mokdad Sifi and Mouloud Hamrouche, former speaker Karim Younes, revolution icon Djamila Bouhired, and protest leader Mustafa Bushashi.

The aim is to find a way out of the crisis, said Arar, a leading child protection activist.

He explained that several national figures have shown willingness to engage in mediation and dialogue.

Weeks ago, bin Saleh called on parties and activists to choose government independent figures for the mediation between the protesters and the authority to discuss organizing presidential elections as soon as possible.

The government failed to organize presidential elections scheduled for July 4.

Arar refused to comment on the authority’s “conditions” for the dialogue, emphasizing the need to create conditions for successful mediation and dialogue, noting that if approved, the team will start the task immediately.

He was referring to the movement’s position on the 13 figures, which would be revealed during Friday’s demonstrations. He also meant the position of the de facto authority of these proposed names.

The release of political prisoners will be a positive step and will enhance dialogue and confidence in the 13 figures, Arar said, about the arrest of political figures and young people from the movement.

Also, the counselor in charge of corruption files in the Supreme Court placed former Industry Minister Mahdjoub Bedda in temporary custody on charges of unfairly granting privileges to auto assemblers.

During the interrogation, Bedda was asked about his connection with businessman Hassan Arabawi, who owns a South Korean car company, who is also in prison on corruption charges.

Seventeen people involved in the case were imprisoned, most of the officials in the ministry of industry who granted Arabawi licenses, which permitted him to assemble vehicles illegally, according to the investigations of the National Gendarmerie.

Former industry minister Youcef Yousfi was also detained on same charges, while his colleague Abdeslam Bouchouareb, also the former minister who currently resides in France, refused to appear before the Supreme Court, and therefore, it will likely launch an international arrest warrant against him.



‘Oil-for-Salaries’ Deal Ends Dispute Between Baghdad and Erbil

Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani stressed the need to put an end to attacks on the region, particularly targeting oil fields (Reuters)
Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani stressed the need to put an end to attacks on the region, particularly targeting oil fields (Reuters)
TT
20

‘Oil-for-Salaries’ Deal Ends Dispute Between Baghdad and Erbil

Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani stressed the need to put an end to attacks on the region, particularly targeting oil fields (Reuters)
Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani stressed the need to put an end to attacks on the region, particularly targeting oil fields (Reuters)

The Iraqi federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) reached a landmark agreement on Thursday that ends a years-long dispute over oil revenues and public sector salaries.

The deal, announced following an emergency cabinet meeting in Baghdad, covers oil production handover, non-oil revenue sharing, and the resumption of salary payments to KRG employees beginning with May 2025.

According to a government statement, the agreement was based on a recommendation by a ministerial committee and aligned with Kurdistan’s regional cabinet decision No. 285, issued on July 16.

KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani confirmed the breakthrough, stating that the federal government had approved a “mutual understanding regarding salaries and the region’s financial entitlements.”

Under the terms of the deal, the KRG will hand over all crude oil production - currently 280,000 barrels per day (bpd) - to Iraq’s State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO), with the exception of 50,000 bpd reserved for domestic consumption. This marks the first such commitment in more than two years, during which oil exports were suspended amid ongoing disputes and recent drone strikes targeting northern oilfields operated mostly by US firms.

In return, the federal Ministry of Finance will pay $16 per barrel, in cash or in kind, to cover production costs. Revenues from locally consumed oil derivatives will go to the federal treasury after deducting production and transport expenses.

On non-oil revenues, the KRG will transfer an initial 120 billion Iraqi dinars (approx. $92 million) to the federal finance ministry, representing an estimate of Baghdad’s share for May. A joint audit team from both governments will verify and finalize the figures within two weeks.

To resolve long-standing disputes over public salaries, a new joint committee will oversee the localization of KRG employee payrolls, in line with a ruling from the Federal Supreme Court. The committee is expected to complete its work within three months.

As part of the agreement’s first phase, the federal government will begin disbursing May salaries following confirmation from SOMO that the agreed oil volumes have been received.