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Kurdish oil for its leadership, and the delay of
Kirkuk's return
19.4.2008
By Shafiq Shemzin - The contents of this article
reflect the author's personal opinions
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April
19, 2008
NEW YORK, Shafiq Shemzin (ekurd.net), -- KRG
prime minister Nechirvan Barzani visited Baghdad
last week to solve issues regarding Peshmerga budget
and the oil contracts closed by KRG. Meetings in
Baghdad between the KRG delegation and the central
government have been taking place, and although
there is no official confirmation, Azzaman, Sotal
Iraq and the Voices of Iraq news agency have
reported the agreement. An agreement on funding for
the Peshmerga, has reportedly also been reached.
These agreements are in return of another six months
delay in Kikruk referendum.
The KRG and central government have squared off over
the oil law for more than a year. The Kurds favour a
decentralized oil sector, allowing producing
provinces and regions some autonomy in signing deals
with foreign companies. Nechirvan Barzani have
closed oil contracts, with help of Ashti Hawrami
minister of resources,www.ekurd.net
with very suspicious
unknown oil companies. The prime minister owns large
deals of DNO (Norwegian oil company) shares, besides
he has set up many private joint ventures with minor
oil companies (like Western-Zagros). In PUK
dominated areas, the Godfathers of local oil deals
are the vice prime-minister of Iraq Barham Saleh,
which has shares in the Chemchemal oil fields, and
President Talabani’s family owns the Taq Taq field.
The KRG prime minister is using the rhetoric of
keeping Kurdish oil for Kurds, and not like Saddam
used it to buy arms from oil revenues, and bomb our
people with it. Using arguments like, ”these oil
deals will provide security for the Kurdish nation”
are totally misunderstood by many Kurds, for the
fact that these companies are not heavy weight in
International politics, besides these oil deals are
only in the benefit of Kurdish leaders and their
entourage.
The KRG oil deals are granting oil firms 17 percent
of oil revenues, and 83 percent to the central
government. As known and like the old oil minister
Isam Chalabi said, “ it is a crime to close oil
deals higher than a single digit percentage”. Deals
with 6-8 percent are considered very profitable and
generous. Kurdish leaders in return give a
double-digit deal to oil firms consisted of 17 to 25
percent. The truth here is that these unknown and
suspicious firms have an under the table agreement,
to give 10 percent of the 17percent oil revenues to
the Kurdish leaders, deposited in Swiss accounts and
Cayman Islands banks.
In the oil industry, legal and administrative
hurdles are refused and considered very undesirable.
This issue stood in the way for many nations’
freedom. This led major western powers to cooperate
with dictators and supply them with arms to keep
countries intact, and suppress every resistance that
can delay oil export. Kurdish leaders are creating
these administrative and legislative hurdles for oil
flow, which can have severe consequences on Kurds’
national long-term interests. Kurdish leaders are
playing with Kurds’ national interests for personal
gain. This is a very dangerous trend that should be
exposed. These contracts have led US government
doubt the future of Kirkuk’s return to Kurdistan
region, besides they distrust the intention of
Kurdish leaders. This was obvious when US warned
Barzani by letting Turkish forces to enter the
Kurdistan region.
US government has not led this occupation endeavour
in Iraq, to let some warlords and local leaders to
benefit. The growing global demand for oil were one
of the major reasons behind occupation, to gain
access to the vast oil reserves of Iraq and cut
major oil supplies to China, which is experiencing a
frightening economic growth.
Every day delay in Kirkuk issue is a day at the
expense of Kurds. Kurdish leadership apparently did
not learn from the past betrayals of US policy and
Iraqi Arab governments. The Kurdish leadership’s
position is in a reactive mode, while no any
strategic measures are taken to lobby in Washington
and London. US officials are increasingly expressing
their dissatisfaction with Kurdish leadership’s
attitude in preventing passing important laws.
For the sake of oil, major powers will go far as
sacrificing a whole nation. Thus, Kurdish leadership
should know their size and act what is in the
interest of Kurdistan, and not the interest of own
pocket. The position of Kurdistan in Iraq and the
future of Kirkuk is still fragile. Not forgetting
the growing dissatisfaction of Kurds. After 5 years
of liberation, most basic services are not there.
The future of Kurds is still bind to Iraq. We must
think of maintaining good relationship with the
central government.
Written by Shafiq Shemzin, You may reach the author
via email at: shafiqshemzin (at) windowslive.com
The views expressed in this article or news are
those of the author.
Sources
1- Kurdish Oil Deal Shocks Iraq's Political Leaders,
Available At: www.globalpolicy.org/security/oil/2005/1201kurdishoil.htm
2- Deal made on Kurd oil, Kirkuk, Available At:
http://www.upi.com/International_Security/Energy/Briefing/2008/04/15/deal_made_on_kurd_oil_kirkuk_--_reports/1290
3- New anti-Kurd oil deal block has majority in
Parliament ,Available at: http://iraqoilreport.com/2008/01/15/new-anti-kurd-oil-deal-block-has-majority-in-parliament/
4- Kurdistan Messy oil Politics, Available at:
www.newsweek.com/id/110090
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