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Kurds in Baghdad for new oil talks
24.1.2008
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January
24, 2008
BAGHDAD, -- Iraq's Kurdish oil leaders are in
Baghdad to clear an impasse over oil control, though
the national oil minister is reportedly not in town.
That could be the point, since some Kurdish leaders
have called for Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani
to be removed from office.
Shahristani has confirmed attendance at the World
Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, which began
Wednesday. A U.S. State Department official is
reportedly mediating.
The Kurdistan Regional Government and the national
government have been at an evolving stalemate over
oil issues for more than a year. The two sides have
yet to reach agreement on a new national oil law,
called for in the constitution but stalled over its
interpretation.
The KRG favors decentralized oil control, allowing
the producing regions and provinces more say in the
pace and method for developing the respective oil
sector. Others want the oil strategy to be a central
one.
The KRG has been developing its oil sector for three
years. It has little of Iraq's proven oil reserves
-- the third largest in the world -- but experts say
there could be a bonanza when it's fully explored.
The KRG had signed a small handful of deals with
international oil firms prior to February 2007 when
a deal was supposedly reached over the oil law.
But disagreements over control arose, and a wedge
between the two sides grew. In August the KRG passed
its own regional oil law and since then has signed
dozens of new deals.
Shahristani initially called them illegal, then null
and void, and has since made good on the threat to
blacklist any oil firm with a KRG deal from
receiving any contracts in upcoming national
tenders.
"The oil companies operating in the Kurdistan Region
insist on working in the region and don't pay any
attention to Shahristani's threats," said Falah
Mustafa Bakir, The Kurdish Globe reports. Bakir
won't meet with Shahristani, The Globe reports, and
Mahmoud Othman,www.ekurd.net
a Kurd and
parliamentarian, said the current meetings on the
oil issue will be final.
Weekly Petroleum Argus reports the Kurds are asking
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to delegate his
energy adviser, Thamir Ghadhban, instead of Oil
Minister Hussain al-Shahristani in new oil law talks
in Parliament's Energy Committee.
KRG Minister of National Resources Ashti Hawrami led
a delegation last month as well. The Globe reports
Reuben Jeffrey, a top U.S. State Department official
tasked with moving the oil law along, will
facilitate.
UPI
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