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Interview: Governor of Kirkuk province
13.9.2007
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September
13, 2007
DUBAI, UAE, -- Iraq's future rests on the
future of Kirkuk. The province holds at least 13
percent of Iraq`s oil reserves, but like the rest of
the country, its infrastructure needs massive
investment.
Article 140 of the 2005 constitution calls for a
referendum in which voters in Kirkuk and others of
the disputed territories in the north will decide
whether to join Iraqi Kurdistan. The vote itself is
controversial, and many experts attribute an
increase in violence in Kirkuk to the debate over
its future.
United Press International sat down with the Kirkuk
Gov. Abdul Rahman Mustafa in Dubai, United Arab
Emirates, on the sidelines of the Iraq Development
Program's Iraq Oil, Gas, Petrochemical and
Electricity Summit. He spoke of the need for
investment and the needs of his citizens and all
Iraqis, especially facing violence and lack of fuels
and electricity.
UPI: What was your goal of the conference, what did
you hope to get out of the conference?
Mustafa: After issuance of the investment law and
the coming approval of the oil and gas law, this
conference is held to invite companies and people
interested in the oil and gas business, to give them
an idea about these laws and about the investment in
Iraq and to introduce the business opportunities to
the intended or prospective investors. Also, to show
the current status of oil and gas in Iraq and to
point out the requirements of the country in these
fields.
Q: What about for Kirkuk specifically?
A: Kirkuk is a governorate well-known for oil. It
has destroyed infrastructure. The oil facilities and
upstream facilities in Kirkuk are old and there is
aged equipment. It is supposed to have integrated
equipment of refineries and gas equipment, gas
facilities, and petrochemicals, all should be
integrated systems. But all these things are
unavailable now. I presented the requirements for
such facilities and our demand for power plants in
this conference and in previous conferences. I
pointed out the investment opportunities in Kirkuk.
Q: Let's talk about specifically the fuels problem.
What is the extent of the fuel shortage for Kirkuk
residents and what would you like to see to address
that?
A: Our problem in fuel shortages, we are facing a
very big crisis. It's in the all of Iraq, not just
our province. This came from we don't have any
refineries, because there is an old refinery and
small refinery but it is not enough for us and is
not suitable for our needs for this issue. There is
a big refinery in Baiji. We send them the crude oil
by the pipelines and they send to us the products
oil from the refinery to Kirkuk. These pipes are
attacked by terrorists and caused it to stop. We
haven't another source for the products. For that we
are facing this problem.
In addition to that there is increasing numbers of
vehicles, cars, in Kirkuk, after the liberation of
Iraq. They need the fuels. We need the kerosene, we
need the gas oil, we need to cover our needs or our
peoples needs for these issues.
Q: When do you think this will be resolved?
A: There is a decision from the minister of oil in
Baghdad and he promised us; he invited 15
experienced companies to build refineries in Kirkuk
and in Karbala and he promised us in the near future
they would come to Kirkuk to put the foundations to
build this project.
Q: How much electricity are your residents and your
businesses and citizens receiving each day?
A: There is nothing the same every day. On average,
maybe between 10 and 12 hours a day. But there are
days that decrease to six or seven hours. Sometime
less than that.
Q: For Iraq, you're one of the highest.
A: As I told you, it is not always. At such times it
is not very hot or very cold. But in the summer or
in the winter when it is very cold and very hot,
maybe four hours or five hours.
Q: Do you want to get a power plant?
A: There is a plan, yes.
Q: How important is the security issue and what
would you suggest needs to be focused on in terms of
security?
A: The security is a very important issue. Without
security no one will be able to work and to invest
in Kirkuk or anywhere else. Our security situation
is not very bad. Reality is we have some problems
and we're suffering from some problems where
sometimes, but this doesn't mean our situation in
security is bad. Maybe 80 percent of Kirkuk`s area
is safe. Maybe 20 percent is not secure.
Q: There is an expectation that violence will
increase as the referendum grows closer, the
referendum for Kirkuk and the disputed territories.
What are you doing to prepare for that?
A: I don't think there is any relationship between
the referendum, between the implementation of
Article 140 and terrorist actions. Terrorists
implement their criminal actions in all of Iraq and
all the world. In Baghdad there is no article 140,
in Basra there is no article 140, but there are
terrorist actions.
Q: Do you support the referendum being held?
A: Yes.
Q: How are you going to vote? Do you want to join
the KRG?
A: Myself, I represent all Kirkuk people. I follow
the majority. Whatever they decide, I follow them.
Q: Sure, but you as a member of a democracy, you get
to vote …
A: I haven't any comment about this issue, (smiling,
chuckling).
Q: A very serious issue is the fact that there have
been a lot of attacks, kidnapping and attacks on
prominent members of the
government. A number of governors have been murdered
recently. Are you worried about that? What are your
thoughts as a
governor as well?
A: I am a responsible person and in assuming
government responsibility, I will not be afraid. I
was subjected to many assassination attacks but I
was not afraid. Since I`ve accepted to assume
responsibility, I should be able to cope with such
responsibility and I`m never afraid and I`ll never
be afraid. This is a motive for me to work harder
and harder to make things more secure and stable.
UPI
* Kirkuk city is a Kurdistani city and it lies just
south border of the Kurdistan autonomous region and
it is not under the full control of Kurdistan
Regional Government administration, its population
is a mix of majority Kurds and minority of Arabs,
Turkmen.
The former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein forced
over 250,000 Kurdish residents to give up their
homes to Arabs in the 1970s, to "Arabize" the city
and the region's oil industry.
Based on Iraq's Constitution a referendum is to be
held in late 2007 to decide whether the oil-rich
Kurdish province should be annexed to the safe
semiautonomous Kurdistan region in Iraq's north.
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