BAGHDAD/ Aswat al-Iraq: Deputy Parliament Speaker Aref Taifour accused Deputy Premier for Energy Affairs Hussein Shahristan and Oil Minister Abdul Kareem Li'aibi of "trying to create a new crisis with the Kurdish region government through threats to sue oil companies working in Kurdistan, as well as the demands to minimize the share of the Kurdish region in the general governmental budget".

Taifour pointed out that Shahristani failed to deal with the demonstrators, "so he is trying to move the crisis to Kurdistan".

He called the two Baghdad senior officials to stop "threatening the Kurdish region and should resort to dialogue and the constitution to solve all pending issues between the two sides".