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Barzani assesses the situation in Iraq
Depth of the crisis between Baghdad and Kurdistan
The dispute has kept the law of oil on the shelf
Kurdistan to stop pumping oil
Barzani assesses the situation in Iraq
Iraq is these days, unprecedented escalation of the political crisis between the federal government in Baghdad, and specifically between Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki, Hussein Shahristani, the deputy prime minister for energy, on the one hand, and the Kurdistan Regional Government, specifically the Kurdish regional president Massoud Barzani and Ashti Hawrami, Minister of Natural Resources, on the other.
Observers expect further escalation and interactions with Barzani soon return from his visit to the United States and European tour, where he met a number of senior officials of these countries, led by President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.
On April 9 / April-Hayat newspaper published a lengthy interview with Barzani in which he discussed the assessment of the situation in Iraq and its relationship with al-Maliki and al-Shahristani and his talks in Washington.
It is useful to recall some of which came in that interview:
-"Said Barzani: Iraq entered the $ 500 billion since 2003 .. Where did it go to who's pocket and spent on what ? There are documents in the looting of state funds, it is necessary to keep the people on all the facts"
- "Iraq is turning into a disaster, the return of dictatorship and monopoly power in all state facilities .. We will call the meeting of all Iraqi leaders .. Either radical solutions or each and every one knows his way with the development of a specific time frame and short to resolve the crisis.
- We reject the presence of one person (Maliki) accounts for all state facilities and act according to his will and marginalizes others. I will call a referendum to the Kurdish people because we are not prepared to watch and wait for promises sterile .. We can not accept the return of dictatorship to Iraq, and if we fail to stop the dictatorship will not be with Iraq ruled by a dictator.
- In May / May 2011 I wrote a letter to al-Maliki told him we are to negotiate with Exxon Mobil, and news of it that this is a good thing for Iraq, and reiterated that the negotiations with the entry of a critical stage.
- The KRG signed on October 18 / October six contracts with Exxon Mobil for areas located three of them outside the administrative boundaries of the territory. Baghdad and considered these contracts and the previous contracts entered into by the Territory contracts illegal.
- The al-Shahristani is not the government, and does not represent only the government, but only represents himself, not to appoint himself governor of al-Shahristani, Iraq.
- Entered Iraq $ 500 billion since 2003 .. Where did you go? It shall be spent? There are documents in the looting of state funds, it is necessary to keep the people on all the facts.
- Anti-Shahristani, in response, and has an agenda in the hostile attitude of the Kurds openly, is it paid for the implementation of his agenda without the knowledge of his direct supervisor (eg al-Maliki)?
- I met (in Washington), President of Exxon Mobil, and is committed to the agreement with us, or the health of the rumors about the cancellation of the contract.
(All of al-Shahristani said the Oil Minister Abdul Karim and coffee that the ministry received twice a letter from Exxon asserts that it had frozen six decades).
Depth of the crisis between Baghdad and Kurdistan
Of the above is only a fraction of the interview Barzani and his comments on the situation in Baghdad, and its relationship with the federal government, which clearly indicate the depth of the crisis between the two parties and the potential to result in serious developments affecting the reality of Iraq and its future.
But it must be noted that the current situation not the result of time, but the result of accumulations and differences, attitudes and temporary solutions, and the outcome of the crisis accumulated stretching since the early days of the occupation imposed on Iraq, the principle of sectarian and ethnic, considering that Iraq is majority Shiite, Okulaitin two main Sunni and the Kurds, and other small minorities.
Was adopted by the occupation in those sectarian - even today - the policy of the distribution of positions in all things and as upheld as adequate representation of these three components, beginning with the composition of the Council of Local Government and the National Assembly first, then all the successive governments, to positions lower civilian and military, including the managers generals, ambassadors and formations of the committees.
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Concrete facts proved it not for the fact that Iraq is a significant oil reserves, a massive invasion by what happened in 2003
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However, the evolution of matter, especially since the presidency of Nuri al-Maliki government in 2006, the first seizure of the Islamic Dawa Party and the majority of the sites at the expense of other components, and became a monopoly of decision-making al-Maliki and his supporters.
As noted in an interview with Barzani to the dispute over oil and pause it deserves special mention, however, we briefly what occurred on the developments:
Concrete facts proved it not for the fact that Iraq is a significant oil reserves, a massive invasion by what happened in 2003.
The United States began to prepare for new oil policy-making, months before the invasion of Iraq. And then prepared drafts of new laws allowing privatization and the return of international oil companies to work in Iraq that have already been nationalized in the period 1972-1975, a period of nationalization that has made all aspects of the activity, however, institutions and cadres of Iraqi.
Failed to U.S. companies that came to Iraq with the occupation, such as Halliburton and Bechtel and Worley Parsons and others in the rehabilitation of Iraqi oil installations, and continued production rates are low and below what it was before the occupation and that until the year 2011, paving the way for contracting with foreign oil companies to return to work in Iraq.
Since 2008, successive Iraqi governments have failed to issue a new law on oil and gas legitimize the work of foreign companies to this day.
The dispute has kept the law of oil on the shelf
Despite reaching the governments in Baghdad and Erbil to agree on a final draft, and blessed with the participation of U.S. in 2007, was soon at odds, and remained the first draft of the law and the subsequent alternatives on the shelf, without an agreement, most recently in September / September 2011.
In light of this the government in Baghdad to announce the three rounds of the licenses in the period from 2008 to 2010 included about 80% of proven oil reserves, including the giant producing fields such as Rumaila and West Qurna and Zubair, Majnoon, and the other 15 contracts concluded.
There is a fourth licensing round in late May / May next, with reference to the insistence of the government not to enact laws especially for those contracts, as required by Law 97 of 1967 in force.
The Kurdistan region has the oldest in the August / August 2008 on the issuance of a special law by allowing the same contract with foreign companies, according to the formula involved in production exclusively not for the fields and structures and land within the boundaries of the three governorates of Erbil, Sulaymaniyah and Dohuk, it passed over land belonging to the provinces of Nineveh, Kirkuk, Diyala and Salah al-Din , which it claims disputed with the federal government.
The number of contracts entered into by the region about 48 contracts, most recently on October 18 / October 2011 with Exxon Mobil, which announced that Baghdad rejected all of them considered illegal. Under the existing laws related to the powers of the Ministry of oil exclusively, and the articles of the 2005 constitution is vague and subject to judgment and interpretation which has not issued new laws to repeal or amend the laws in force.
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Despite reaching the governments in Baghdad and Erbil to agree on a final draft of the law of oil and blessed with the participation of U.S. in 2007, was soon at odds, and remained the first draft of the law and the subsequent alternatives on the shelf
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And gained a contract with Exxon Mobil is particularly important that the American company contracted with the Federal Ministry of Oil service contract for the field of West Qurna-1 does not have the right to enter contracts are with the region, which led the ministry to issue threats to the company to end work in the West Qurna field, and depriving them of any new contracts.
After more than five months, the ministry announced that Exxon official told her books on its decision to freeze the contracts with the region, while emphasizing the latest of the region's remarks Barzani not to be true.
Kurdistan to stop pumping oil
As a result of this conflict, declared the region to stop pumping 175 thousand barrels per day in the system of export through Turkey, after its commitment in 2011 to pump 100 thousand barrels per day, and 175 thousand barrels per day in 2012, prior to the adoption of Iraq's budget as a condition for the region to 17% of that budget , prompting Baghdad to the threat to deduct the equivalent of that amount of the share of the region.
The Kurdistan region of Iraq, for its part, accuses Baghdad of not abiding by the terms of the agreement included payment of central government the equivalent of 50% of the amount of oil pumped by the region, while no Baghdad, said it had paid part of that, pending approval of the Committee audit the relevant processes and production costs for companies operating in the region .
It developed that the accused Baghdad region doing smuggling oil through Iranian territory to India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and elsewhere.
Region responded by accusing Baghdad to export oil to Israel via the Jordanian port of Aqaba. Both sides have refused the charges, as well as neighboring countries mentioned.
I wonder what the coming days hide us from the developments and will reveal to us the secrets?
As always, the people is always a loser and the biggest victim with the continued prevalence of corruption and the accumulation of personal wealth in a limited number of individuals.
And keep the unity of Iraq and his land and the interests of his people in great danger.
http://www.aljazeera.net/ebusiness/pages/41d9b112-32a3-4ca3-ab99-c6d572d67bba
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