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Iraqi Kurdistan PM says no power in
Baghdad can annul oil deals
28.6.2008
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June
28, 2008
Erbil-Hewler, Kurdistan region "Iraq", —
The prime minister of Iraqi Kurdistan on Saturday
rejected calls from Iraq's central government to
scrap disputed oil contracts with foreign firms,
calling those who proposed such annulments
"dreamers".
Nechirvan Barzani arrived back in the largely
Kurdistan autonomous region on Thursday after
several days of talks with Baghdad that were partly
aimed at resolving a dispute over a draft oil law.
Those talks appeared to have yielded nothing but
mutual promises to keep talking about the stalled
bill.
Iraq's cabinet agreed a draft oil law in February
last year,www.ekurd.net
but it has failed to get
through parliament partly because of rows between
the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and Baghdad
over who will control oil reserves and contracts.
Among the disputes are deals the KRG signed with
foreign energy firms on its own initiative. Baghdad
has called them illegal and will not recognise them. |
Nechirvan Barzani, Prime
Minister of
Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) |
"They are legal and
constitutional contracts and they meet international
standards," Barzani told journalists in the Kurdish
city of Erbil, the Iraqi Kurdistan's capital, "No
power in Baghdad can annul these contracts. Those
who call for them to be annulled are dreamers."
Barzani brought to Baghdad what Kurdish officials
had called new proposals to resolve disputes over
the deadlocked national oil law, but no
breakthroughs were made.
Barzani said both sides promised to continue talking
through a new political committee.
"This committee will headed by (Prime Minister) Nuri
al-Maliki," he said.
Iraq has the world's third largest oil reserves at
around 115 billion barrels, although Deputy Prime
Minister Dr Barham Salih said in April
reserves could be as much as 350 billion barrels.
In the absence of the oil law,www.ekurd.net
Baghdad has been
negotiating six short-term technical service
contracts with foreign oil majors with the aim of
lifting output at its largest producing fields by a
combined 500,000 barrels a day.
Iraq's oil ministry has finished negotiations with
the oil majors and hopes to sign the deals during
the next month, the Oil Ministry said this week.
On Monday, Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani is
expected to announce which large producing fields
will be open for long-term development contracts,
the officials added.
Copyright, respective author or news agency,
Reuters
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