Iraqi Oil Law Still Awaits Kurds’ Approval

28 June 2007 Iraq’s draft petroleum law is still awaiting the go-ahead from Kurdish officials following changes to the text introduced by the state Shura Council, a panel of judges tasked with reviewing the legal language of the draft, a senior Iraqi government official said Wednesday. “We have sent the draft to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and we are waiting for their comments on the changes in the language…

Sharing The Wealth

22 June 2007 After weeks of haggling and tough bargaining, Iraq’s central government and the northern Kurdish region have agreed a draft revenue-sharing law — opening the way for parliament’s approval of a hydrocarbon law regulating international investments in Iraqi oil and gas fields. The draft revenue law is a compromise that ensures the Kurds get an adequate and timely share of state revenues, but keeps the collection and distribution…

Baghdad, Kurds Quarrel Over Oil Claims

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…