They met with members of the Council of Representatives’ Finance Committee and officials from the federal Ministry of Finance to discuss the draft budget.
“This is the first time that a delegation from the KRG is negotiating the Region’s [budget] share in Baghdad before the draft is approved,” the source added.
According to the report the Iraqi government’s parties reiterated that they planned to allocate 12 percent of the budget to the Kurdistan Region and that they based that number on population estimates.
The KRG delegation is seeking a share closer to 17 percent, which is what the Region had received in previous budgets.
On November 6, parliament initially rejected the proposed budget and, after some confusion, referred it to the then-undefined committee.
The Kurdish representatives voted against the draft budget and called for an increase in the Kurdistan Region’s budget share and more funding for the Peshmerga.
They also objected to the Kurdistan Region being referred to as “northern Iraq” in the budget language.
Sunni lawmakers also rejected the draft saying that reconstruction funding for Nineveh, Saladin, and Anbar governorates was not sufficient, given the level of damage sustained during the war against Islamic State.
The parliament in Baghdad is due to discuss the draft federal budget and the issue of internal customs checkpoints on Monday.
Reporter's code: 50101