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PM Barzani discusses freedom of press with Kurdish journalists

Draw Media, Kurdistan 24 Prime Minister Masrour Barzani held a candid discussion about freedom of the press with journalists from numerous media establishments in the Kurdistan Region on Monday. Barzani and the Kurdish journalists spent over three hours discussing a wide range of topics related to corruption, freedom of the press and speech, the reform process, Erbil-Baghdad relations, and relations between the media and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Freedom of press, Kurdish media landscape “Journalism is a sacred mission,” Prime Minister Barzani told the journalists at the beginning of their lengthy discussion, adding that he is a firm believer in free expression and press freedom in the Kurdistan Region. Later in the discussion, Barzani opened the floor for journalists to ask questions and share their views on the state of affairs in the Kurdistan Region. One issue repeatedly raised by multiple journalists was restrictions on press freedom. They said that the freedom of the press is “receding,” with people even facing jail time for “writing a comment”. Harassment of journalists or their family members was also mentioned by a member of the press, who said his wife had been one of the victims. Barzani explained that there is a distinction between a journalist doing their job and defamation, stressing that the latter cannot be tolerated as people’s reputations and rights are at stake. Barzani said, “one person’s freedom ends when another’s begins,” and stressed that a person’s right to free expression does not permit them to defame others. The prime minister denied that he owns any “unofficial media” or has attacked anyone personally through such platforms, as one journalist alleged in the discussion. Public discontent Another issue discussed was public discontent in the Kurdistan Region with the government and political process. A number of the attending journalists acknowledged the “negative atmosphere” in the media regarding people’s grievances over the day-to-day issues they face regarding the delivery of basic services. While acknowledging the issues the Kurdistan Region faces, Barzani charged that some of the media organizations had played a role in making people “disappointed” not only with the government but the Kurdistan Region itself, which negatively affected their sense of patriotism toward their homeland. “Loving the homeland should not be equated with endorsing the government,” he said. KRG Reforms The KRG’s ongoing reform process was also discussed, with some journalists expressing discontent with its progress. Mohammad of Rauf the editor-in-chief of Draw Media mentioned that the margin of freedom of the press has declined significantly in this cabinet, especially we were worried about the case of the Badinan journalists. The arrest of Sherwan Sherwani and his friends, who are still in jail, made us uncomfortable and unsecure about our journalistic works. He added that corruption has increased and smuggling is openly carried out at the borders and no corrupt officials have faced arrest. Barzani responded by saying his cabinet’s fight against corruption is about reforming the system to make it resilient against corrupt practices rather than focusing on putting corrupt officials on trial. If the system is not reformed, it would be prone to such malign practices, he argued, adding that his reform program will take time to bear results.

The Board of Supreme Audit and the Commission of Integrity in the Audit of the Reform Law

Draw Media The Board of Supreme Audit and the Commission of Integrity, two institutions in the Kurdistan Region to monitor the integrity and control corruption, have not escaped safely from the audit of the reform law. In the Board of Supreme Audit (39) employees, and in the Commission of Integrity (11) employees have been given positions illegally who were previously transferred from the organizations to these two institutions. Board of Supreme Audit in the Reform Report According to the third report of the Coordination and Monitoring Committee on the implementation of the reform law, a copy of which was obtained by (Draw): • The Board of Supreme Audit, which is an institution affiliated to the Kurdistan Parliament, has (389) employees. The audit of all employees of this institution has been completed and it was found that (39) employees have been illegally promoted and (31) employees have been given additional salaries illegally. The report indicates that due to the reform in the file of employees of the Board of Supreme Audit, the amount of (13 million 907 thousand) dinars has been returned to the general treasury. The monthly salary expenditure of this board is 749 million dinars. Commission of Integrity in the reform report According to the third report of the Coordination and Monitoring Committee on the implementation of the reform law: • Commission of Integrity, which is a body under the Kurdistan Parliament, has 202 employees. The audit of all employees of this commission has been completed and it was found that 11 employees have been given ranks illegally and 7 employees have been paid salaries illegally. According to the report, the amount of (3 million 137 thousand) dinars returned to the general treasury due to the reforms made in the case of employees of this Commission. The monthly salary expenditure of the employees of the Commission is (267 million) dinars. According to Draw Media, the employees who were illegally promoted were previously in the organizations and were transferred to the two institutions. outcome: 17 million and 44 thousand dinars have been returned to the general treasury due to the audit of the files of employees of the two institutions.

Two senior officials close to the PKK were among the dead

Draw Media Two senior officials close to the PKK were in the vehicle that was targeted by Turkish drones near Kalar, they are (Farhad Derk and Haval Raperin). Turkish drones targeted a vehicle carrying five people, three women and two men, four of them were killed and one seriously injured near Kalar today. According to the investigations of (Draw Media) among the dead were: • Ms. Haval Raperin, member of the Kurdistan People's Congress close to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). • Farhad Derk, a member of the leadership of Tevdem, close to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The driver of the vehicle was seriously injured and is in hospital. The Turkish drone bombed the vehicle three times until it hit the target. According to the investigations of (Draw), these people have come to the Kurdistan Region from West Kurdistan and have been in Kalar for two days.

Investment in the 9th cabinet

Draw Media The Kurdistan Regional Government’s 9th cabinet has licensed 178 investment projects with a capital of more than 11 billion dollars, on an area of more than 10,000 dunams of land. (118) of the projects located into the KDP’s zone, with a capital of more than (9 billion) dollars, which is (83%) of all the projects, on (7.5 thousand) dunams of land. However, only 60 out of 178 investment projects located into the PUK zone, with less than $2 billion, which is only 16% of the capital of all the investment project within KRG, on an area of 3,000 dunams. First, investment in both zones - yellow (KDP) and green (PUK) According to the data of the Investment Board of the Kurdistan Regional Government in the ninth cabinet, which has released between (July 28, 2019 to April 5, 2022). It has licensed 178 investment projects with a capital of 11 billion 137 million 300 thousand 24 dollars, on an area of 10 thousand 393 dunams of land. Based on Draw Media analysis, 118 of the projects licensed by the Investment Board are located in Erbil and Duhok provinces. The amount of (9 billion 335 million 916 thousand 730) dollars has been spent for those projects at a rate of (83.83%) of the whole KRG investment projects, on an area of (7 thousand 479) dunams of land. In the same period of time, only (60) projects out of (178) investment projects are located in Suleimani, Halabja, Garmian and Raperin provinces. The amount of (1 billion 801 million 383 thousand 294) dollars has been spent at a rate of (16.17%), on an area of (2 thousand 914) dunams of land. Second, investment at the provincial and city levels 1. Erbil Province; (76) projects with a capital of more than (8.7 billion) dollars an average of (78.7%), on an area of (4.7 thousand) dunams of land. 2. Halabja Province; (1) Project with a capital of more than (6.8 million) dollars, an average of (0.06%), on an area of (7.2) dunams of land. 3. Garmian Administration; (9) Projects with a capital of more than (331.5 million) dollars, an average of (3%), on an area of (935) dunams of land. 4. Raperin Administration; (4) Projects with a capital of (123.3 million) dollars, an average of (1.11%), on an area of (117.5) dunams of land. 5. Sulaimani Province; (46) projects with a capital of more than (1.33 billion) dollars, an average of (12%), on an area of (1,854) acres of land. 6. Duhok Province; (42) projects with a capital of about (569 million) dollars, an average of (5.11%), on an area of (2 thousand 718) acres of land. Third, investment by different sectors 1. Commercial sector; (41) projects with a capital of (573 million) dollars, an average of (5.14%), on an area of more than (537) dunams of land. 2. Banking sector; (1) Project with a capital of more than (315) dollars, an average of (0.14%), on an area of less than (1) dunams of land. 3. Health sector; (11) projects with a capital of (89.5 million) dollars at a rate of (0.80%), on an area of (14.6) dunams of land. 4. Industrial sector; (49) projects with a capital of (1.620 billion) dollars at a rate of (14.55%), on an area of (1,190) dunams of land. 5. Service sector; (2) Project with a capital of (57.8 million) dollars at a rate of (0.52%), on an area of (968) dunams of land. 6. Tourism sector; (29) projects with a capital greater than (7 billion) dollars at (64%), on an area of (2 thousand 856) dunams of land. 7. Education sector; (18) projects with a capital of about (220) million dollars, an average of (2%), on an area of (533) dunams of land. 8. Agricultural sector; (8) Projects with a capital of (363.48 million) dollars, an average of (3.26%), on an area of (3 thousand) dunams of land.9. Housing Sector; (11) projects with a capital of more than (1 billion) dollars, an average of (9%), on an area of (1,256) acres of land. 10. Arts Sector; (1) Project with a capital of (9 million 234 thousand) dollars, an average of (0.08), on an area of (10) dunams of land. 11. Sports Sector; (7) Projects with a capital of about (58 million) dollars, an average of (0.52%), on an area of (25) dunams of land. Fourth: investment capital in the ninth cabinet of the Kurdistan Regional Government Out of the 178 projects, 174 projects are being implemented by domestic investors with a capital of $6 billion and 193 million, which is 55.6% of the total investment capital since the ninth cabinet took office. However, only one Chinese company has received an investment license with a capital of $5 billion, an average of 44 percent of the total investment capital. (3) projects have been licensed jointly by Iraqi, Chinese, Turkish, Egyptian and Canadian companies with a capital of about (37 million 384 thousand) dollars, which is (0.34%) of the total investment capital. Fifth: Investment based on the Years 1. With the inauguration of the ninth cabinet from (28/7/2019) to (1/1/2020), licenses have been given to (16) projects with a capital of more than (485 million) dollars. 2. (1/1/2020 to 1/1/2021), licenses have been given to (77) projects with a capital of more than (2 billion and 18 million) dollars. 3. (1/1/2021 to 1/1/2022), licenses have been given to (69) projects with a capital of more than (8 billion 509 million) dollars. 4. (1/1/2022 to 5/4/2022), licenses have been given to (16) projects

Gas price between two cabinets

Draw Media In the Kurdistan region there are three gas quality types (Super, Muhassan-Midgrade, Normal) The gas price increased significantly since 2018 in the KRG. The Super quality increased by (74%), Muhassan-Midgrade by (82%) and Normal by (77%). 🔻Gas prices on June 11, 2018 during the 8th cabinet: 🔹Super: 775 IQD 🔹 Muhassan-Midgrade: 700 IQD 🔹Normal: 650 IQD 🔻Gas prices on June 11, 2022 during the 9th cabinet: 🔹Super: 1350 IQD 🔹 Muhassan-Midgrade: 1275 IQD 🔹Normal: 1150 IQD 🔻Increase in gas prices in the 9th cabinet: 🔹Super: from (775 to 1350)IQD which is increased 575 IQD by (74%) 🔹 Muhassan-Midgrade: from (700 to 1275)IQD which is increased 575 IQD by (82%) 🔹Normal: from (650 to 1150)IQD which is increased 500 IQD by (77%) That means, in the past 4 years the gas price increased significantly in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. The Super quality increased by (74%), Muhassan-Midgrade by (82%) and Normal by (77%).

KRG: Oil and Gas Do Not Fall Under the Purview of the Federal Court

Draw Media Kurdistan’s judicial council said in a statement that the region's oil law would remain in force and will not change. :Statement from the Judicial Council of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq The Kurdistan Regional Government's tenure on the issue of oil and gas exploration on its territory is in accordance with the 2005 Iraqi Constitution. The provisions of Law No. 22, 2007, issued by the Kurdistan Regional Parliament, do not violate the Iraqi Constitution and therefore should be recognized as standing laws. The oil and gas sector do not fall under the exclusive purview of the Federal Government of Iraq as stated in Article 110 of the Iraqi Constitution, underpinned by Article 112 of the Iraqi Constitution which states the Federal Government is to manage oil and gas exploration of discovered fields, in conjunction with regional governments and oil-producing provinces. Of that, revenues are supposed to be distributed equally among the population of Iraq. Article 112 refers to existing oil wells and fields prior to the ratification of the Constitution in 2005. As such, oil fields discovered in the Kurdistan Region since 2005 fall under the jurisdiction of the Kurdistan Region and the Kurdistan Regional Government. Accordingly, the texts of the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Oil and Gas Law No. 22, 2007, remain in line with the provisions of the Iraqi Constitution. Past regimes have made regions unduly suffer and deprived them of their fair share of the revenue from oil and gas exploration in Iraq, limiting their progress and opportunities to prosper. The allocation of national oil and gas revenues should be regulated by law to prevent this from happening again.

KRG revenue in May was 1.2 trillion dinars

Draw Media The total revenue of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in May was 1 trillion 213 billion dinars. Last May, the Kurdistan Region sold 12 million 730 thousand barrels of oil at $100 per barrel, earning 1 trillion 859 billion dinars. Only 818 billion dinars of that amount went for the government treasury. Non-oil revenues • Non-oil revenues for May = (164 billion) dinars (which will be spent on salaries, otherwise according to information, the amount is almost double) • Coalition financial aid to the Peshmerga forces = (31 billion 500 million) dinars • Kurdistan Region's share of the Iraqi budget = (200 billion) dinars Oil revenues (pipeline exports) • In May 2022, the Kurdistan Region exported 12 million 730 thousand barrels of oil through the Turkish Port of Jayhan • The average price of Brent oil for May is ($112.73). • Because the region sells its oil at $12 less, it sells oil at an average of $100.73 So: (12 million 730 thousand) barrels X (100.73) dollars = (1 billion 282 million 292 thousand 900) dollars. In dinars, it is: (1 billion 282 million 292 thousand 900) dollars X (1450) dinars = (1 trillion 859 billion 324 million 705 thousand) dinars. • According to the latest Deloitte report, 56% of oil revenues are spent on expenditures and 44% remains with the Ministry of Natural Resources. - So: (1 trillion 859 billion 324 million 705 thousand) dollars X (56%) = (718 million 84 thousand 24) dollars go to the cost of oil production process. In dinars, it is: (718 million 84 thousand 24) dollars X ((1450 dinars = (1 trillion 41 billion 221 million 834 thousand 800) dinars oil expenditure. - (1 trillion 859 billion 324 million 705 thousand) dollars X (44%) = (564 million 208 thousand 876) dollars of revenue remain for government. Oil revenue in dinars is: (564 million 208 thousand 876) dollars X (1450) dinars = (818 billion 102 million 870 thousand 200) dinars. Total Revenue in May 2022 (in Dinar) • (818 billion 102 million 870 thousand 200) oil revenue + (200 billion) share of the Iraqi budget + (164 billion) local income + (31 billion 500 million) from allies = (1 trillion 213 billion million 870 thousand 200) dinars.

300 Kurdish, Albanian and Bangladeshi refugees will be deported

Draw Media, Daily Mail Ministers are planning a mass deportation next week of foreign criminals and migrants who are in the UK illegally. The carefully choreographed operation, involving up to 300 foreign nationals, is believed to be the biggest deportation exercise ever attempted on one day. Charter flights booked by the Home Office are bound for Iraqi Kurdistan, Albania and Bangladesh on Tuesday. Those being deported are being held at immigration removal centers including Colnbrook, near Heathrow Airport, as they await the flights. They have been rounded up from all over Britain by immigration enforcement officers and detained over the past month. Each received a Home Office letter last weekend while in detention, giving details of their flight. The deportations will include the first ‘returns’ flight to the turbulent area of Iraqi Kurdistan in a decade, immigration lawyers say. It comes after the Nationality and Borders Bill became law last month, allowing easier removal of those living in the UK illegally because they are visa overstayers, failed asylum seekers or criminals sentenced to more than a year in prison. Earlier this month, killers, rapists and paedophiles were among those who dodged deportation to Jamaica with a series of last-minute legal challenges – and just seven boarded the plane. Last night, the Home Office said: ‘We make no apology for removing foreign criminals and those with no right to be in the UK. This is what the public rightly expects.’ It comes after the Government made a separate deal to send certain asylum seekers to Rwanda. While the department refused to comment on the details of Tuesday’s flights, the Daily Mail understands the deportees include Iraqi-Kurds, Albanians and Bangladeshi nationals. They will be flown, respectively, to their country’s capital cities: Erbil in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region, Tirana and Dhaka. The New Arab, a media outlet based in London, reported that Iraqi-Kurd politician Arian Taugozi said the operation followed a ‘secret deal’ between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Home Office. The ministry said a visit by the KRG’s prime minister Masrour Barzani last month was to ‘strengthen joint efforts to address migration challenges.

KRG oil in the control of two women

Draw Media When he first received the position, Kamal Atroshi threatened to tear to pieces those who are corrupt, but in the end, He knelt before two women close to the Barzani family. Kamal Atroshi, the man who said, “I will distribute oil to all the villages myself.” But during his service, the people died in cold. He talked about solving the gasoline problem and gasoline prices reached the highest level during his time. Did Kamal Atroshi resign due to illness or did he resign because he got disappointed? More details in this report. Is he sick or disappointed? A statement issued by the office of Prime Minister Masrour Barzani attributed the resignation of Kamal Atroshi to the health condition of the minister, but according to (Draw) information, the reason for the resignation is related to the interference in the affairs of his ministry. In particular, the influence of Dr. Ranya Majid, Masrour Barzani's assistant for economic affairs, in the affairs of the Ministry of Natural Resources. (Draw) has learned, that another part of Kamal Atroshi's concerns and his resignation from the Ministry of Natural Resources is related to the unlimited interference of another woman named Dr. Ghazala, the Director-General of Contracts and Companies in the Ministry of Natural Resources. When Atroshi took over as the minister of natural resources, his first promise was to change the structure of the ministry, as he said, “he wants to create an international structure for his ministry.” In late 2021, Kamal Atroshi left the ministry for a while, when there were rumors of his resignation, but later denied it, saying he had gone abroad for medical treatment. KRG oil in the control of two women Before and after the resignation of Kamal Atroshi, the KRG oil dossier is controlled by two women, all of whom are close to the Barzani family. Omid Sabah, the Cabinet Office Chief, who is Masrour Barzani's shadow in the government, is responsible for bringing back the KRG oil revenue from Citibank in the USA to the Egyptian bank in Dubai. After bringing BACK the money to Kurdistan, the oil revenue goes to RT Bank, the director of this bank is a woman named Hamela Abdulstar Gardi. Then she transfers the oil revenue to the Minara Bank for salary expenses. (Hamela Gardi),(Dr. Ghazala), as three women close to the Barzani family, dominate the oil dossier and revenues of the Kurdistan Region and no oil minister can encroach on the power of these three women in Masrour Barzani’s cabinet.

Plasschaert gathers the Kurdish leaders

Draw The head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert will meet with Kurdish leaders at the UN headquarters in Erbil next week, a senior source told Draw Media

KRG Oil revenues have increased by 42%

Draw Media The total oil revenue of the Kurdistan Region in the first quarter of 2022 increased by 42% compared to the first quarter of 2021. In a way that the revenue rose from $2.536 billion to $4.341 billion. And in the first quarter of 2022 compared to the first quarter of 2021 the net revenue returned to the KRG after deducting expenditures increased by 42% from $1.142 billion to $1.970 billion. First, the revenue and amount of oil exported from December 1 to April 1 According to Deloitte, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) sold 50 million 644 thousand and 230 barrels of oil through the Turkish port of Jayhan in the first quarter of 2021. According to the data the average crude oil price in that period was 50$ per barrel. That means, the total revenue from oil sales through pipeline was (2 billion 536 million 358 thousand 78) dollars, but an average of (54.6%) of this revenue have spent to the cost of the process which was (1 billion 394 million, 149 thousand and 925 dollars. According to this, the net oil revenue of the Kurdistan Regional Government was 1 billion 142 million 208 thousand 154 dollars by 45.4% of the total income. Second: The revenue and amount of oil exported from December 11 to April 1, According to the statistics available to Draw Media, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in the first four months of 2022 sold 49 million 56 thousand barrels of oil through the Turkish Port and the average crude oil price in that period was 88$ per barrel. The total revenue from oil sales through pipeline was $4 billion, 341 million, 348 thousand and 280 dollars. According to Deloitte's 2021 data, an average of 54.6 percent of revenue went to oil process expenditures. If we take the same amount of expenditure for the months of 2022, the amount of expenditure is (2 billion 370 million 376 thousand 161) dollars, thus (45.4%) of the total oil revenue, handed over to the Kurdistan Regional Government Kurdistan, which is (1 billion 970 million 972 thousand 119) dollars. Third, compare oil revenues for the first four months of 2021 to 2022 The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) sold oil worth $2 billion 536 million 358 thousand 78 in the first four months of 2021. However, in the first four months of 2022, the amount of revenue increased by 42%, so that the total value of oil sold was (4 billion 341 million 348 thousand 280) dollars. This means that the revenue from oil exports increased by (1 billion 804 million 990 thousand 202) dollars. Revenue received by the Kurdistan Regional Government The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has received $1 billion 142 million 208 thousand 154 from oil sales in the first four months of 2021. However, in the first four months of 2022, the amount of revenue increased by (42%), so that the net oil revenue received by the Kurdistan Regional Government was (1 billion 970 million 972 thousand 119) dollars. This means that the net oil revenue received by the Kurdistan Regional Government has increased (828 million 763 thousand 965) dollars.

Iraq bids to control Kurdistan oil revenue with contract switch

Draw: Reuters By Rowena Edwards and Amina Ismail Iraq has made a fresh attempt to control revenue from the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan by asking oil and gas firms operating there to sign new contracts with state-owned marketer SOMO rather than the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Oil minister Ihsan Ismael on May 7 said Iraq's oil ministry would start implementing a February federal court ruling that deemed the legal foundations of the Kurdistan region's oil and gas sector unconstitutional. read more A letter seen by Reuters shows that the oil ministry appointed international law firm Cleary Gottlieb Steen and Hamilton to approach some oil and gas firms operating in the Kurdistan region to "initiate discussions to bring their operations into line with applicable Iraqi law." Implementing the court decision "will require changes to the contractual regime" for the companies, the letter added. Other firms received a letter directly from the oil minister, one source said. The KRG has repeatedly rejected the federal court ruling. The letters, which were sent on May 8, mark the first direct contact between the ministry and oil firms operating in the Kurdistan region. The move follows years of attempts by the federal government to bring KRG revenues under its control, including local court rulings and threats of international arbitration. The implications of the latest move are not fully clear as more than seven months since elections in Iraq, the formation of a government is still underway. An Iraqi oil ministry legal adviser, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that a joint government committee, including representatives from the oil ministry including the minister, Iraq’s National Oil Company (Inoc) as well as the Federal Board of Supreme Audit (FBSA), will conduct a contractual review. The aim is to eventually sign contracts with the central government and not the KRG, the adviser added. Foreign oil firms present in the Kurdistan region including Genel Energy (GENL.L) , Chevron and Gulf Keystone (GKP.L) , and Cleary Gottlieb declined to comment, while Iraq’s oil ministry and oil and gas firm DNO did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The oil ministry has yet to receive responses from the companies concerned and could take further legal measures in the case of no response, one oil ministry official said, without elaborating. Foreign oil firms are unlikely to engage with Baghdad directly without coordination with the KRG, one oil firm representative told Reuters. TENSIONS FLARE UP Baghdad’s persistent attempts to implement the ruling has the capacity to worsen already fraught tensions with Erbil. Iraq’s state-owned North Oil (NOC) claimed on Saturday that KRG forces took control of some oil wells in the disputed region of Kirkuk but the KRG denied the allegation, claiming it was designed to create chaos. read more On May 12, Inoc published an analysis detailing how the KRG’s production-sharing contracts are financially worse for both the government and foreign oil firms than federal Iraq’s own technical service contracts. Meanwhile, Iraq has struggled to attract major fresh investments into its federal energy industry since signing a flurry of post U.S.-invasion deals over a decade ago. read more The Iraqi government has cut oil output targets repeatedly as international oil companies that signed those initial deals leave due to poor returns. Ismael on Monday said Iraq now plans to boost its crude production capacity from around 5 million barrels per day (bpd) to 6 million bpd of crude capacity by the end of 2027, a sharp downward revision from a previous target of 8 mln bpd by that year.

Masoud Barzani paid a secret visit to Iran

The head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Masoud Barzani, has been in Iran in the past two days and yesterday evening returned back to Kurdistan. A source from the KDP’s Political Bureau confirmed the information for Draw Media and said that Masoud Barzani had visited Iran for two days and returned to the Kurdistan Region today. Barzani's visit was to pave the way for his expected initiative, which is decided to be announced in next a few days. The Initiative focuses on solving the political deadlock in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.

KDP stops media attacks on PUK

Draw Media The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) has suspended its media attacks on the PUK and its characters on Masoud Barzani's command, and that is the beginning of preparations for Barzani's initiative to pull Iraq out of political deadlock, with the agreement of the Iranians. On demand of KDP’s Cultural and Media Agency, which determines the direction of the work of the KDP media and social media, called the party’s media to stop their attack on the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) "in consideration of the current situation in the Kurdistan region, all media attacks on the PUK and its leaders should be stopped." KDP’s Cultural and Media Agency asked the party’s media in a letter. The KDP's decision to stop the media war coincides with approaching an announcement of a new political initiative by Masoud Barzani and the KDP’s meeting with the PUK. According to Draw information, Barzani wants to open the knot of the Iraqi political deadlock from the Kurdistan Region and reach an agreement with the PUK on the post of the President. By giving up the presidency post for the PUK, Barzani wants to take the PUK out of the Coordination frame work coalition and turn the PUK to partner with (Sadr + Barzani + Halbulsi) coalition. In this way, the quorum of the parliamentary session for the presidential election will be completed, and after the election of the president, the process of forming a government by a tripartite coalition should begin. To convince the PUK, Barzani must also convince the Iranians on this initiative, since the Coordination Framework (Maliki, Amiri, Khazali, Faleh Fayyaz, Abadi, Hakim) are supported by Iran and the PUK is part of this project, so leaving this coalition without Tehran's consent will be a big risk for the Kurdish authorities.

journalists' discussion

On Monday, several editors-in-chief and journalists in the Kurdistan region held an open discussion at Draw Media headquarters regarding the challenges facing the media outlets in the Kurdistan region. During the discussion, the attendees focused on the current situation and the working conditions of the media in the Kurdistan region, especially the issue of cyber-attacks on digital media and social media pages. Another topic was discussing how to create cooperation among the media institutions. As a result of the discussion, the participants generally agreed that: 1. Trying to create media cooperation in the Kurdistan region and abroad among media organizations. 2. Support and togetherness for confronting the pressures that are being put on media and journalists. 3. Trying to resolve electronic pressures through Facebook and related agencies. 4. Informing consuls, international envoys, representatives of the United Nations, and international organizations about the media situation and the pressure on the media organizations. 1. Standard Foundation – Erbil 2. Bwar News – Erbil 3. Voice Radio - Garmian 4. Shar press 5. Diplomatic 6. Hawlati 7. Paragraph 8. Draw Media 9. Metro Center 10. head of the Kurdistan Journalists Syndicate - Sulaimani branch. 11. Kamal Chomani 12. Farman Rashad 13. Dilshad Anwar 14- Karokh Rasul, technical expert on social media