Abadi underlines threats facing Middle East and world

Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi has warned against targeting or opening fire against federal troops at disputed regions, warning that whoever violates will not be safe.

During the weekly press conference held in Baghdad on Tuesday, Abadi said, “Kurdistan’s authorities suspended the negotiations between the military federal and Kurdish delegations and conditioned a political agreement to resume the talks.”

Abadi said would “lead to conflicts between federal and Peshmerga troops.” He also accused the region’s authorities of reinforcing troops. “Any force or authority that targets Iraqi troops will not be safe in Iraq,” Abadi threatened.

Tension occurred between Baghdad and Erbil in the wake of the independence referendum held in September by Kurdistan Regional Government, when 92 percent voted for independence from Iraq. Baghdad rejected the vote and replied with retaking territories where sovereignty is disputed with Erbil, including oil facilities.

Walid al-Helli, who is Abadi’s advisor, said on Monday that Iraqi government will impose its control on the border crossings that are out of its control, even if by force. He added that 29 crossing are out of the federal government’s control.

This came after Hadi al-Ameri, secretary-general of Badr Organization, ruled out on Friday possibilities that Iraqi federal troops attack the kurdish Peshmerga at the disputed regions in Nineveh and Kirkuk.

In the same context, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi repeated on Tuesday his accusations against Kurdistan Region of corruption in handling the region’s oil output, but saying that his government continues, however, its il supplies to the region.

“The federal government is still supplying the Kurdistan Region’s refineries with oil though we have discovered a partnership between some corrupt parties and Kurdistan oil smugglers,” he said in his weekly press briefing. “550.000 oil barrels were exported through the Turkish Ceyhan terminal in October,” Abadi said.

Iraq said last month it was reopening the pipeline between Ceyhan and the province of Kirkuk, where Baghdad disputes sovereignty and oil revenues with Erbil. Exports were halted through the pipeline since 2014 when Islamic State militants took over it.

A political crisis, a later a military standoff, erupted after Erbil ran a popular referendum in September where it said 92 voted for independence from Iraq. The government in Baghdad has rejected the vote as unconstitutional, and replied with retaking territories where sovereignty is disputed with Erbil, including oil facilities.

Abadi has regularly accused Kurdish officials of seizing oil revenues illicitly, and both governments have for long disputed over a fair mechanism of sharing the profit.