postcon
07-04-2007, 05:32 AM
No quick debate in Iraq parliament on oil law
Iraq's parliament may take a week to start debating a landmark draft oil law, officials said on Wednesday, as complaints from Kurdish authorities and Sunni Arab politicians signalled its passage could be rocky.
Washington has pushed Iraq for months to speed up passage of the law and other pieces of legislation, which are seen as vital to curbing sectarian violence and healing deep divisions between majority Shi'ites and minority Sunni Arabs.
Presentation of the draft to parliament after the cabinet approved it on Tuesday was a big step towards meeting a key political target set by the United States.
But Mohammed Abu Bakr, head of parliament's media office, said the law had to first go to the energy and oil committee.
"We need seven days to get the draft on the agenda of parliament to discuss it," he said.
The oil law is intended to ensure a fair distribution of the world's third largest oil reserves, which are located mainly in the Shi'ite south and the Kurdish north of Iraq.
Sunni Arabs, the backbone of the insurgency, live mainly in central provinces that have little proven oil wealth and have long feared they would miss out on any windfall.
In a sign of future trouble, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) said it had not seen nor approved the draft.
"We hope the cabinet is not approving a text with which the KRG disagrees because this would violate the constitutional rights of the Kurdistan region," the KRG said in a statement.
Iraq's cabinet originally approved the draft in February but faced stiff opposition from Kurdistan, which felt it was getting a raw deal.
LEGAL FRAMEWORK
The draft, which has not been made public, decides who controls Iraq's reserves and aims to provide a legal framework for foreign investment. The Kurds had previously said some of the law's annexes were unconstitutional.
Another complication could be Sunni Arab politicians, who have voiced concern about foreign domination of the industry.
Saleem al-Jubouri, spokesman for the main Sunni Arab bloc, the Accordance Front, said the bloc believed the cabinet had agreed to the changes too hastily and would seek amendments.
"We will try to convince other blocs about our view, although we don't want to become a barrier that stops the passing of a law as important as the oil law," Jubouri said.
The bloc is boycotting cabinet and parliament meetings over what it says is unfair treatment of its members.
A companion draft law that covers revenue sharing would be approved by the cabinet this week and submitted to parliament next week, Iraqi officials have said.
The Kurds approved the revenue sharing component in June, agreeing to take 17 percent of all oil revenue.
Parliament is running out time to debate and approve the oil laws and other key measures aimed at ensuring Sunni Arabs are cemented in the political process. It has extended its current session to the end of July, before legislators take a month off.
U.S. military commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, and Ambassador Ryan Crocker have to present a much-anticipated report to Washington in the middle of September on Iraq's security and political progress.
In fresh violence, U.S. forces backed by war planes killed an estimated 25 gunmen during a clash north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, the military said.
The military said fighting took place during a three-day operation that ended on Monday near Mukhisa in Diyala province. It did not specify the day of the clash.
http://africa.reuters.com/world/news/usnL04225475.html
Iraq's parliament may take a week to start debating a landmark draft oil law, officials said on Wednesday, as complaints from Kurdish authorities and Sunni Arab politicians signalled its passage could be rocky.
Washington has pushed Iraq for months to speed up passage of the law and other pieces of legislation, which are seen as vital to curbing sectarian violence and healing deep divisions between majority Shi'ites and minority Sunni Arabs.
Presentation of the draft to parliament after the cabinet approved it on Tuesday was a big step towards meeting a key political target set by the United States.
But Mohammed Abu Bakr, head of parliament's media office, said the law had to first go to the energy and oil committee.
"We need seven days to get the draft on the agenda of parliament to discuss it," he said.
The oil law is intended to ensure a fair distribution of the world's third largest oil reserves, which are located mainly in the Shi'ite south and the Kurdish north of Iraq.
Sunni Arabs, the backbone of the insurgency, live mainly in central provinces that have little proven oil wealth and have long feared they would miss out on any windfall.
In a sign of future trouble, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) said it had not seen nor approved the draft.
"We hope the cabinet is not approving a text with which the KRG disagrees because this would violate the constitutional rights of the Kurdistan region," the KRG said in a statement.
Iraq's cabinet originally approved the draft in February but faced stiff opposition from Kurdistan, which felt it was getting a raw deal.
LEGAL FRAMEWORK
The draft, which has not been made public, decides who controls Iraq's reserves and aims to provide a legal framework for foreign investment. The Kurds had previously said some of the law's annexes were unconstitutional.
Another complication could be Sunni Arab politicians, who have voiced concern about foreign domination of the industry.
Saleem al-Jubouri, spokesman for the main Sunni Arab bloc, the Accordance Front, said the bloc believed the cabinet had agreed to the changes too hastily and would seek amendments.
"We will try to convince other blocs about our view, although we don't want to become a barrier that stops the passing of a law as important as the oil law," Jubouri said.
The bloc is boycotting cabinet and parliament meetings over what it says is unfair treatment of its members.
A companion draft law that covers revenue sharing would be approved by the cabinet this week and submitted to parliament next week, Iraqi officials have said.
The Kurds approved the revenue sharing component in June, agreeing to take 17 percent of all oil revenue.
Parliament is running out time to debate and approve the oil laws and other key measures aimed at ensuring Sunni Arabs are cemented in the political process. It has extended its current session to the end of July, before legislators take a month off.
U.S. military commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, and Ambassador Ryan Crocker have to present a much-anticipated report to Washington in the middle of September on Iraq's security and political progress.
In fresh violence, U.S. forces backed by war planes killed an estimated 25 gunmen during a clash north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, the military said.
The military said fighting took place during a three-day operation that ended on Monday near Mukhisa in Diyala province. It did not specify the day of the clash.
http://africa.reuters.com/world/news/usnL04225475.html