27/10/2011Baghdad and the Kurds cut a step towards a compromise on oil law
بغداد- بابنيوز: BAGHDAD
Iraqi officials said the Iraqi government and the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region agreed on amendments to the draft oil law and to reach agreement by the end of the year.
And Kurdish officials strongly criticized the draft law approved by the Iraqi government in August, which gives the central government, dominated by Arabs more control of oil reserves in the country's fourth-largest reserves in the world.
It has long been considered the adoption of a new law on oil and gas is crucial to the success of Iraq's oil sector has witnessed rapid development and that Baghdad had signed contracts worth billions of dollars with major international oil companies, despite the absence of appropriate legal safeguards.
The officials said that the Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, Prime Minister of the Kurdistan region, Barham Salih, agreed during talks in Baghdad this week that by December 31 will be the parties have equitable oil law for the year 2007 as agreed upon by all political factions or read the 2007 law as it is.
Ali al-Dabbagh, spokesman for the government "has now become the agreement on that by the end of this year will be the completion of the draft agreed .. Either go back to the old draft of the oil and gas, or create a new draft, as we agree upon."
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For years, investors wait to enact the laws of modern Iraq, while trying to attract foreign investments worth billions of dollars to rebuild after decades of war and international sanctions.
It seems that the agreement in favor of Maliki and the draft law would marginalize the controversial approved by the government in late August, which was expected to give rise to a political battle within the al-Maliki's fragile coalition.
The Kurds, who control 56 seats in the Iraqi parliament said that the draft violates the Constitution.
And impose the draft central control over oil and gas resources by giving Baghdad more control of the blister-producing fields and the awarding of contracts for the fields is developed.
The Law of 2007, which agreed to by the regional authorities of the political blocs partial control on the reserves.
Said Thamer Ghadban, Senior Advisor for Energy-Maliki said the two leaders Sevdilan adopt the old version without any modifications because time is running out.
He added, "a copy (2007) ... is agreed upon yesterday. There is a preference not to amendments so as not to become a waste of time."
Officials were not available to the Kurds for comment.
According to Yahya Kubaisi, an analyst with the Iraqi Institute for Strategic Studies, that the differences over the oil law very deep so that can not be solved in two months.
"We passed this way is very difficult because the differences are not about the individual but the same philosophy it otherwise .. have any of the oil and gas. I think it's kind of Albroobaganda political."
He said political analyst Ibrahim Sumaidaie Maliki, a Shi'ite, reached an agreement with the Kurds after Iraq tried to block his main political rival, backed by appeal to the Vice-year Kurds to topple the government of Maliki's fragile.
And the mass of the Iraqi and Kurdish bloc partners in the Iraqi government coalition.
Sumaidaie said, "goes the more the leaders of the Iraqi Kurds, roughly the Maliki .. partners in the coalition to blackmail Maliki Maliki ... go and make concessions to its partners."
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