Kurdistan
Men work at the Rumaila oil refinery near the Iraqi city of Basra on December 13, 2009. File photo: Nabil al-Jurani/AP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A 2007 draft for an Iraqi oil and gas law could be suitable for the Kurdistan Region after some modification, an advisor to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) told Rudaw on Friday, as Erbil keeps emphasizing the need for a joint hydrocarbons law to resolve pending issues with Baghdad.
Calls for drafting a joint oil and gas law between Erbil and Baghdad have resurfaced since the formation of the new Iraqi government under Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, after a ruling from Iraq’s top court in February deeming the Kurdistan Region’s oil and gas law “unconstitutional” escalated tensions between the KRG and the federal government.
“There are three drafts for an oil and gas law in Iraq,” Bewar Khinsi, advisor to Kurdistan Region’s Prime Minister Masrour Barzani told Rudaw’s Hemin Baban on Friday, adding “the first of which is the 2007 draft which was somewhat satisfactory to the Kurdistan Region and now needs to be amended and could prove to be the best one.”
The advisor claimed that the other two drafts were unsatisfactory to the Kurdistan Region, stressing that Erbil should avoid discussing them with Baghdad.
The KRG on Wednesday formed a delegation to partake in negotiations with Baghdad over outstanding issues, including the topic of oil and gas.
“It is very important for the Kurdistan Region to prepare a delegation of well-informed legal and oil experts to negotiate with Baghdad, and be aware of all the legal gaps and know all the details of the oil and gas process, to prevent the composition of draft that is against the interests of the Kurdistan Region,” Khinsi added.
PM Barzani said earlier this month that drafting a joint hydrocarbons law between Erbil and Baghdad is crucial for resolving the outstanding issues between the two governments.
Shakhawan Abdullah, second deputy speaker of the Iraqi parliament, in October said that resolving the pending issues between Erbil and Baghdad are one of the tasks of the new Iraqi government, drawing special emphasis on the need to reach an agreement between the two sides on drafting a joint Iraqi oil and gas law.
Iraq’s new government was sworn in late October during a tense parliamentary session where Sudani successfully presented his cabinet a year since parliamentary elections were held, with the country shrouded in uncertainty.
PM Sudani on Tuesday said that Erbil and Baghdad are willing to resolve the pressing issues between them, stressing that they should do so “professionally.”
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