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Hurani’s
nomination comes amid preparations to announce a new
unified cabinet that will bring together the
region’s two separate governments, one in Erbil and
the other in Sulaimaniyah.
Barzani, who will head the new joint government, is
expected to present his cabinet to the unified
Kurdish parliament this week.
The creation of an oil ministry in the region has
angered the central government which has so far
stopped the Kurds short from spreading their full
control over the Kurdish oil-rich region of Kirkuk.
Oil Ministry officials refused to comment on the
announcement, saying the appointed was “a political
and not technical issue.”
However, they conceded the ministry had little say
in oil affairs related to the region’s three
provinces – Erbil, Sulaimaniyah and Dahouk
(Kurdistan-Iraq).
The largest portion of the country’s known oil
reserves of 114 billion barrels lies in the south.
The only Kurdish oil-rich area in the north is
Kirkuk whose oil fields and installations are in the
hands of the Iraqi central government.
Oil Ministry experts doubt whether any substantial
reserves of oil could be found in the three
provinces currently under Kurdish control.
But the Kurds are said to have struck deals with
international firms to explore for oil in their
areas.
Unconfirmed reports say the companies have struck
commercial reserves in Zakho, close to the Turkish
border.
Source: edinarfinancial.net | Azzaman
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