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Iraqi government says Kurdistan government
can buy fuel from Turkey
31.1.2007 |
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January 31, 2007
Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh yesterday
said that the Baghdad administration has authorized
the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to import
fuel from abroad and has allocated it funds in the
2007 fiscal year budget to do this.
The Iraqi deputy prime minister, who is in charge of
oil affairs, told The New Anatolian in a telephone
interview from Baghdad that he is disturbed with the
current controversy in Turkey that the Iraqi
government is forcing Ankara to deal with the Iraqi
Kurds.
He said the KRG, which runs the provinces of Duhok,
Erbil and Sulaimaniyah, has been complaining for a
year that the fuel purchased by Baghdad for the
whole of the country has not been reaching the
northern regions properly and these delays have
created serious shortages and hardships. |
Dr. Barham Salih, Iraqi Deputy PM |
The Iraqi official stressed that to overcome these
complaints the government decided to allow the Kurds
to do their own purchasing of fuel and allocated
them funds in the budget.
The Iraqi state fuel company SOMO told Turkey that
while it will continue to import fuel for the
country, the KRG will also be authorized to import
fuel for the northern provinces.
Dr. Saleh said he can understand the political
sensitivities of the Turkish officials as they may
have some domestic political considerations but
stressed the KRG is a legal entity of Iraq which
should be recognized by Ankara.
"If Turkey recognizes the Iraqi constitution, then
Turkey also has to recognize the legality of the KRG,"
he declared. "The KRG has been created by this
constitution. If not, then Turkey does not recognize
this constitution, then it means it does not
recognize Iraqi sovereignty and that may create a
very serious situation."
thenewanatolian com
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