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Anti-Maliki bloc against Iraq's Kurdistan
oil deals
8.1.2008
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January 8, 2008
Baghdad, -- Iraqi political factions upset
with current leadership have pledged to support the
central government in oil deals, an apparent knock
to the Kurds.
The pledge comes from a meeting between
representatives of former Prime Minister Ayad
Allawi's supporters, the Sadr Movement, the Fadhila
Party and a disaffected part of the Dawa Party.
Dawa, the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq and the
Kurdish Coalition make up the ruling government
coalition in Baghdad's weakening central government.
IraqSlogger.com, translating an Arabic story in the
newspaper Azzaman,www.ekurd.net
says the parties are
opposed to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's
government and will "support the position of the
central government regarding its exclusive right to
explore oil fields and sign contracts with foreign
companies."
Despite being coalition partners, the Kurds have
riled the federal oil minister by moving forward
unilaterally on developing their oil sector.
The Kurdistan Regional Government, which controls
three northern provinces, has passed its own
regional oil law and signed more than 20 oil deals
with foreign oil firms to explore and produce oil.
Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani calls the moves
illegal and threatens to blacklist any company that
has signed with the KRG from doing business in the
rest of Iraq, where most of the 115 billion barrels
of proven reserves are located.
The KRG wants the oil sector governed in a
decentralized way, while Baghdad and most Iraqis
want it nationalized and controlled by the central
authorities.
According to the article, the four parties aligned
on the oil deals will also form a new political bloc
to oppose the Maliki government.
UPI
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