dejavu
04-19-2008, 08:02 PM
Kurd PM says oil talks with Iraq positive
Web posted at: 4/20/2008 3:7:4
Source ::: Reuters
BAGHDAD • The prime minister of Iraq’s Kurdistan region said yesterday he had made good progress with Iraqi government officials on a draft oil law that has been delayed by disputes between Baghdad and the Kurdish north.
Iraq has the world’s third-largest oil reserves and needs billions of dollars in investment to overhaul its infrastructure and boost output after years of sanctions and war. Delays in approving the landmark legislation to govern the industry have held back investment.
“Our meetings in Baghdad were marked by a positive feeling of cooperation and progress,” Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani said in a statement posted on the website (www.krg.org) of the largely autonomous region in northern Iraq.
Barzani said the two sides had agreed to start with a previously negotiated February 2007 draft oil law as the basis for a new draft to be submitted to parliament.
“Once agreement has been reached, the laws concerning oil and gas, revenue sharing, the Iraqi National Oil Company, and the restructuring of the Oil Ministry will be submitted as one package,” he said.
In what appeared to be a shift to a more conciliatory tone, Barzani said the talks had made “significant progress” and underscored the commitment of both sides to finding mutually agreeable long-term solutions.
In recent months, officials from the Kurdish government and the Oil Ministry have traded accusations over who is at fault for the delays in the law.
Iraq produces around 2.3 million barrels per day (bpd) of oil, a fraction of its 115 billion barrels of proven crude reserves.
Earlier this week, the deputy speaker of the Iraqi parliament, Khaled Al-Attiya, said that contracts signed by the Kurdish regional government with foreign firms were to blame for holding up the draft oil law.
Baghdad says the deals are illegal and has said it would bar firms that had signed contracts with the Kurdish region from oil deals in the rest of the country. Kurdish officials say the agreements are valid.
http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=Business_News&subsection=market+news&month=April2008&file=Business_News20080420374.xml
Web posted at: 4/20/2008 3:7:4
Source ::: Reuters
BAGHDAD • The prime minister of Iraq’s Kurdistan region said yesterday he had made good progress with Iraqi government officials on a draft oil law that has been delayed by disputes between Baghdad and the Kurdish north.
Iraq has the world’s third-largest oil reserves and needs billions of dollars in investment to overhaul its infrastructure and boost output after years of sanctions and war. Delays in approving the landmark legislation to govern the industry have held back investment.
“Our meetings in Baghdad were marked by a positive feeling of cooperation and progress,” Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani said in a statement posted on the website (www.krg.org) of the largely autonomous region in northern Iraq.
Barzani said the two sides had agreed to start with a previously negotiated February 2007 draft oil law as the basis for a new draft to be submitted to parliament.
“Once agreement has been reached, the laws concerning oil and gas, revenue sharing, the Iraqi National Oil Company, and the restructuring of the Oil Ministry will be submitted as one package,” he said.
In what appeared to be a shift to a more conciliatory tone, Barzani said the talks had made “significant progress” and underscored the commitment of both sides to finding mutually agreeable long-term solutions.
In recent months, officials from the Kurdish government and the Oil Ministry have traded accusations over who is at fault for the delays in the law.
Iraq produces around 2.3 million barrels per day (bpd) of oil, a fraction of its 115 billion barrels of proven crude reserves.
Earlier this week, the deputy speaker of the Iraqi parliament, Khaled Al-Attiya, said that contracts signed by the Kurdish regional government with foreign firms were to blame for holding up the draft oil law.
Baghdad says the deals are illegal and has said it would bar firms that had signed contracts with the Kurdish region from oil deals in the rest of the country. Kurdish officials say the agreements are valid.
http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=Business_News&subsection=market+news&month=April2008&file=Business_News20080420374.xml