Seaview
03-26-2009, 01:37 PM
Iraqi Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani bears the direct responsibility for the country’s failure to boost oil exports, a Kurdish leader said.
Nejerwan Barzani, Kurdish region government’s prime minister, said Shahristani’s policies have backfired and done more harm than benefit to the country.
Barzani made the remarks during a meeting with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki who was visiting the Kurdish region in the latest bid to normalize ties between Baghdad and the Kurds.
Shahristani is one of Iraq’s strongest opponents of allowing the Kurds having any say in the development of the country’s oil riches in their areas.
He has denounced their attempts to extract oil from their fields and blocked their efforts to have their output, which they estimate at 100,000 barrels a day, shipped through Iraqi pipelines for export.
Barzani said he brief Maliki on his regional government’s attitude and displeasure with Shahristani’s policies.
Baghdad fears giving the Kurds the right to develop and export oil from their areas would encourage their hawks to use the revenues as a leverage to boost their autonomy further.
Asked whether the Kurds would let the central government their oil fields as Shahristani demands, Barzani adhered to former position.
He said the Kurds would not relinquish this right but were prepared to funnel the proceeds to the central government coffers after deducting their share which he put at 17% of all proceeds.
http://www.azzaman.com/english/index.asp?fname=news\2009-03-26\kurd.htm
Nejerwan Barzani, Kurdish region government’s prime minister, said Shahristani’s policies have backfired and done more harm than benefit to the country.
Barzani made the remarks during a meeting with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki who was visiting the Kurdish region in the latest bid to normalize ties between Baghdad and the Kurds.
Shahristani is one of Iraq’s strongest opponents of allowing the Kurds having any say in the development of the country’s oil riches in their areas.
He has denounced their attempts to extract oil from their fields and blocked their efforts to have their output, which they estimate at 100,000 barrels a day, shipped through Iraqi pipelines for export.
Barzani said he brief Maliki on his regional government’s attitude and displeasure with Shahristani’s policies.
Baghdad fears giving the Kurds the right to develop and export oil from their areas would encourage their hawks to use the revenues as a leverage to boost their autonomy further.
Asked whether the Kurds would let the central government their oil fields as Shahristani demands, Barzani adhered to former position.
He said the Kurds would not relinquish this right but were prepared to funnel the proceeds to the central government coffers after deducting their share which he put at 17% of all proceeds.
http://www.azzaman.com/english/index.asp?fname=news\2009-03-26\kurd.htm