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Kurdistan PM slams Iraq oil ministry:
We'll Separate from Iraq
28.9.2006
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Erbil, Kurdistan
Region-Iraq, September 28, -- The prime minister of
Iraq's Kurdistan autonomous region on Thursday
condemned what he said was an attempt by the central
government to "sabotage" Kurdish moves to develop
oil resources.
Premier Nechirvan Barzani warned that Kurds would
fiercely oppose any attempt to deprive them of the
right to develop their own oil industry, and warned
that interference could revive their calls for
independence.
"The people of Kurdistan chose to be in a
voluntarily union with Iraq on the basis of the
constitution," Barzani, the nephew of Kurdish leader
Massud Barzani, said in a statement.
"If Baghdad ministers refuse to abide by that
constitution, the people of Kurdistan reserve the
right to reconsider our choice," he warned.
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Nechirvan Barzani, Prime minister of Kurdistan region (Iraq) |
The Kurdish leader was reacting to an interview
given by Iraq's national Oil Minister Hussein
Shahristani, in which he said that his office would
review the terms of any oil deals signed by Kurdish
authorities.
"I resent Dr. Shahristani's efforts to sabotage
foreign investment in Kurdistan's oil sector,"
Barzani said.
"The KRG (Kurdish Regional Government) is working to
develop petroleum in Kurdistan, an area that
previous Iraqi regimes had declared off limits as
means of punishing our people," he added.
According to Barzani, the Iraqi constitution gives
the regional government authority over oil and gas
since they are not "exclusive powers of the federal
government" and he accused Shahristani of breaching
this agreement.
In addition to massive oil reserves in the south and
substantial deposits near the northern city of
Kirkuk, the mountainous Kurdish region in the far
north of the country is believed to have untapped
potential.
Turkish, Portuguese and Norwegian companies have
been engaged in exploration activities in the three
provinces making up Iraq's Kurdish region and at
least one major discovery has been made.
The Kurdish regional government's ability to sign
lucrative oil deals with foreign countries is
contingent on this independence from central
government oversight and a fiercely guarded
privilege.
The issue of foreign involvement Iraq's petroleum
sector is a sensitive matter and under Saddam,
foreign companies were not allowed to participate in
the sector, something the national parliament has
yet to resolve.
The Kurdish regional area, however, has welcomed in
foreign companies and made it clear it wants a more
open oil policy than the rest of the country.
Shahristani's office could not immediately comment
on the charges.
"Dr. Shahristani would better spend his time getting
his ministry working rather than tearing down our
achievements," said Barzani, adding that the Kurds
could reconsider their choice to be part of Iraq.
Fears of Kurdish secession have reached new heights
in recent weeks, especially following the decision
of the regional president Massud Barzani to ban
displaying the Iraqi national flag in government
offices.
AFP
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