Friday, July 13, 2007
KRG rejects latest draft oil law
Oil
(Arabian Business) - Meaningful debate of Iraq's draft oil law could be stifled by news that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) will not accept the version currently before parliament. Last week there was confusion about the draft that had been forwarded by Iraq's cabinet legal committee. Now it has become clear, in the words of the KRG's minister of natural resources Ashti Hawrami, "that the law has been changed fundamentally, therefore it cannot be accepted by the KRG."
According to Eamad Mazouri, the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) general representative in the UAE, Baghdad had said the changes to the draft were only linguistic. "According to Hawrami, Baghdad was supposed to send [the KRG] the draft law along with annexes, including the one defining the distribution of revenues and a contract sample," said Mazouri. "However [the KRG] only received a revised version of the draft law and one annex concerning the distribution of oil revenues."
In a conference at the Kurdistan parliament, attended by both Iraqi and Kurdish MPs, the federal government speaker Ali Al-Dabahg claimed that the changes are not binding, since the whole draft law will need to be voted on in the Iraqi parliament. "The KRG will continue to insist on Kurdistan's rights in this law, as well as any other law that is against the current constitution [or] trying to diminish Kurds' legitimate rights," said Mazouri.
According to Eamad Mazouri, the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) general representative in the UAE, Baghdad had said the changes to the draft were only linguistic. "According to Hawrami, Baghdad was supposed to send [the KRG] the draft law along with annexes, including the one defining the distribution of revenues and a contract sample," said Mazouri. "However [the KRG] only received a revised version of the draft law and one annex concerning the distribution of oil revenues."
In a conference at the Kurdistan parliament, attended by both Iraqi and Kurdish MPs, the federal government speaker Ali Al-Dabahg claimed that the changes are not binding, since the whole draft law will need to be voted on in the Iraqi parliament. "The KRG will continue to insist on Kurdistan's rights in this law, as well as any other law that is against the current constitution [or] trying to diminish Kurds' legitimate rights," said Mazouri.
Labels: Ali Al-Dabahg, Ashti Hawrami, draft oil law, Eamad Mazouri, KRG
