Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Kurds call on Iraqi authorities to hold oil minister accountable
Erbil, The deputy chairman of the Energy and Industry Commission in the Kurdistan parliament called on Kurdish lawmakers and officials in Baghdad to exert pressure on the Iraqi government to revoke an agreement with Turkey that prevents Kurdistan’s gas exports to Europe.
Iraqi and Turkish energy ministers signed a deal on Sunday whereby Turkey will not allow any gas exports from Iraq through its soil without the prior consent of the Iraqi Ministry of oil.
The agreement came a few weeks after the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) signed a deal with the German RWE utility company to connect Kurdistan's gas fields to the strategic Nabucco pipeline that will transfer natural gas from the Middle East and central Asia to Europe. Nabucco project is expected to open around 2014.
Avin Omar, from the Kurdistan parliament, told AKnews that, “We are worried about this (Iraq-Turkey) agreement, because this is a step taken KRG’s (energy) policies.”
“The agreement has been masterminded by (Iraq’s oil minister) Hussein Shahristani and needs a thorough review. The Kurdish officials and lawmakers in Baghdad need to take a serious stance on Shahristani’s policies, because the decisions by the Kurdistan parliament will not affect his decisions,” said Omar.
Kurds hold key positions in the Iraqi government such as presidency, foreign ministry and occupy 57 seats in the parliament as well.
“The Iraqi oil minister keeps creating problems for the Kurdistan Region which complicates the lives of its citizens. Shahristani’s policies are illegal, unconstitutional and inappropriate.”
Due to vague constitutional articles, the KRG and Iraqi government are in deep disagreement over who has the right to control and export energy resource sin Kurdistan’s three provinces of Erbil, Sulaimaniya and Dohuk.
Meanwhile, Ali Balo, an advisor to the KRG’s Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources said Turkey’s cooperation with Iraq on blocking KRG’s energy exports has not been without “receiving something in return.”
“I think it is not impossible that the Iraqi Oil Ministry has signed a
secret deal with Turkey where it might have offered concessions at the expense of the Iraqi people so that Ankara would agree to sign the agreement (on preventing KRG’s energy exports).”
Balo, however, did not provide information on the details of what “concession” Iraq might have offered Turkey.
He urged the Iraqi parliament to investigate the agreement so that
“all facts will come to light.” He said the Iraqi oil minister ahs violated the Constitution and needs to be held accountable for that by the Iraqi parliament.
But more than six months after elections, Iraq’s parliament has only held one session so far which took place on June 15. There is no set date on the horizon for any parliamentary meeting yet.
He said Shahristani does not have the constitutional powers to sign such agreements.
Kurdish authorities say Kurdistan has around 20 trillion cubic meters of natural gas and have expressed their interest to export gas to Europe.
http://www.aknews.com/en/aknews/2/182752/
Kurds call on Iraqi authorities to hold oil minister accountable
Erbil, The deputy chairman of the Energy and Industry Commission in the Kurdistan parliament called on Kurdish lawmakers and officials in Baghdad to exert pressure on the Iraqi government to revoke an agreement with Turkey that prevents Kurdistan’s gas exports to Europe.
Iraqi and Turkish energy ministers signed a deal on Sunday whereby Turkey will not allow any gas exports from Iraq through its soil without the prior consent of the Iraqi Ministry of oil.
The agreement came a few weeks after the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) signed a deal with the German RWE utility company to connect Kurdistan's gas fields to the strategic Nabucco pipeline that will transfer natural gas from the Middle East and central Asia to Europe. Nabucco project is expected to open around 2014.
Avin Omar, from the Kurdistan parliament, told AKnews that, “We are worried about this (Iraq-Turkey) agreement, because this is a step taken KRG’s (energy) policies.”
“The agreement has been masterminded by (Iraq’s oil minister) Hussein Shahristani and needs a thorough review. The Kurdish officials and lawmakers in Baghdad need to take a serious stance on Shahristani’s policies, because the decisions by the Kurdistan parliament will not affect his decisions,” said Omar.
Kurds hold key positions in the Iraqi government such as presidency, foreign ministry and occupy 57 seats in the parliament as well.
“The Iraqi oil minister keeps creating problems for the Kurdistan Region which complicates the lives of its citizens. Shahristani’s policies are illegal, unconstitutional and inappropriate.”
Due to vague constitutional articles, the KRG and Iraqi government are in deep disagreement over who has the right to control and export energy resource sin Kurdistan’s three provinces of Erbil, Sulaimaniya and Dohuk.
Meanwhile, Ali Balo, an advisor to the KRG’s Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources said Turkey’s cooperation with Iraq on blocking KRG’s energy exports has not been without “receiving something in return.”
“I think it is not impossible that the Iraqi Oil Ministry has signed a
secret deal with Turkey where it might have offered concessions at the expense of the Iraqi people so that Ankara would agree to sign the agreement (on preventing KRG’s energy exports).”
Balo, however, did not provide information on the details of what “concession” Iraq might have offered Turkey.
He urged the Iraqi parliament to investigate the agreement so that
“all facts will come to light.” He said the Iraqi oil minister ahs violated the Constitution and needs to be held accountable for that by the Iraqi parliament.
But more than six months after elections, Iraq’s parliament has only held one session so far which took place on June 15. There is no set date on the horizon for any parliamentary meeting yet.
He said Shahristani does not have the constitutional powers to sign such agreements.
Kurdish authorities say Kurdistan has around 20 trillion cubic meters of natural gas and have expressed their interest to export gas to Europe.
http://www.aknews.com/en/aknews/2/182752/
