Iraqi President Fuad Masum stressed in a statement, today Wednesday December 20th 2017, on the need to work hard and immediately to solve the problem of paying late salaries to employees and workers in the Kurdistan Region and address the difficulties of life faced by the people of the region now, calling on demonstrators to self-control and abide the law and not to damage government buildings and party offices.

While welcoming the announcement of the Federal Government and the Kurdistan Regional Government expressed their readiness to start an immediate dialogue to resolve the outstanding problems between them, the president expressed his intention to continue contacts to promote national understanding and find necessary solutions to the crisis between Erbil and Baghdad on the basis of the Constitution and decisions of the Federal Court. 

Earier it was reported that at least seven people were killed, and 80 more injured when protests in Raniya became violent on Tuesday.