29 September 2006 Officials in Baghdad and the northern Kurdish government locked horns this week over the Kurds’ claimed right to award production sharing contracts to foreign oil companies. The spat prompted a Kurdish threat to break away from Iraq, in a development that bodes ill for the country’s future unity. The quarrel centered on whether the Iraqi oil ministry in Baghdad should have a say in how — and…
Tag: constitution
Make or Break Time
23 June 2006 One month after choosing a cabinet and pledging to transform Iraq into a country ruled by law under a national unity government, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki finds himself bogged down by the same problems that paralyzed an array of politicians before him. Observers, both in and outside Iraq, look on bewildered as the same sectarian divisions that delayed the government’s formation for six months after the…
Federalism or Bust
15 September 2006 The debate over Iraqi devolution, which many regard as synonymous with carving the country up into autonomous mini states, has started. The principle was enshrined in the Iraqi constitution adopted last year. But as the stuttering launch of the parliamentary debate underlines, it’s not just the local drivers of the proposal — mainly Shiite groupings and, to a lesser extent, Kurds — whose interests are involved, regional…
Three Options for Oil in Iraq Constitution
25 July 2005 As an Aug.15 deadline approaches for agreeing on a final draft of Iraq’s new constitution, Iraqi officials say the document should be ready for debate by a special committee next week, to be followed by the National Assembly. However, agreement remains elusive on how ownership and management of Iraq’s vast oil resources should be formulated in the draft constitution, a member of the constitutional drafting committee told…