Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Iraqi Defense Minister meets with KRG to discuss creation of Peshmerga platoons
Security
(Stratfor) - Iraqi Defense Minister Abd al-Qadir al-Ubaydi met with the Kurdistan Regional Government on Oct. 9 to discuss the creation of two new peshmerga platoons to increase security in the country, Peyamner News Agency reported, citing the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan's Web site.
Labels: Abd al-Qadir al-Ubaydi, KRG, Peshmerga
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Kurdistan signs four more oil deals
Oil, Kurdistan
AFP) - Iraq's Kurdistan regional government announced four more oil deals on Wednesday, ignoring criticism from Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government and Washington of its unilateral sell-off of the country's national resources. The regional government said in a statement posted on its website that it had approved four contracts for exploration and production, and had sanctioned two new refinery projects in the Kurdish autonomous region in northern Iraq.
Two production sharing contracts (PSCs) had already been signed, with Heritage Energy Middle East Limited, a subsidiary of the Canadian firm Heritage Oil and Gas, and Perenco S.A., an affiliate of a French company of the same name. "The signing of the other two PSCs with experienced international companies will follow shortly," the statement said.
"The combined initial exploration investments on the upstream projects will be approximately 500 million dollars," it said. "Estimated investment on the two new refinery projects will be around 300 million dollars."
The Iraqi oil ministry did not immediately comment on the new deals, but Amira al-Baldawi, an MP from the Shiite coalition that leads the Baghdad government and a member of parliament's economic, investment and reconstruction committee, said the contracts were "illegal". "They shall be revised and put in accordance to the Iraqi law and the new oil law to be issued," Baldawi told AFP.
Last month, the Kurdish regional government inked a deal with Texas-based Hunt Oil Company, the first major oil contract awarded by any Iraqi authority to a foreign company since UN sanctions were imposed on Iraq when it invaded Kuwait in 1990. No details of the contract have been released but the Dallas company, which has links with the White House, has said it would begin its geological survey work in Dohuk province, near the border with Turkey, by the end of this year and would begin drilling in 2008.
The Hunt contract was declared "illegal" by Iraqi Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani, sparking a war of words with the regional government, which told him to stop meddling in its affairs and said he should be sacked. A senior US embassy official speaking on condition of anonymity told reporters in Baghdad last week that the Hunt deal had "needlessly elevated tensions" in Iraq. He said the US State Department had advised Hunt to wait for the Iraqi parliament to pass a much-anticipated oil and gas law that will establish a new framework for the industry but that it went ahead anyway.
The bill opens up the long state-dominated oil and gas sector to foreign investment and provides assurances that receipts will be shared equally between Iraq's 18 provinces, a measure Washington regards as key to efforts to reconcile the country's divided communities. The draft law was approved by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's national unity cabinet in July but faces a tough passage in the 275-seat parliament, where the Kurdish bloc has 53 seats. The bill is expected to come before MPs this month.
The regional government said the PSC awarded to Energy Middle East Limited covered the 1,015 square kilometre (406 square mile) Miran Block in Sulaimaniyah Governorate, "a low to medium exploration risk area." Perenco S.A. has been awarded the "high exploration risk" 2,358 square kilometre (943 square mile) Sindi/Amedi Block along the Turkish border.
Regional natural resources minister Ashti Hawrami defended the deals. "The projects will spearhead international investment for the whole of Iraq," he said. "New oil discoveries under these contracts will bring large amounts of new revenues for sharing throughout Iraq."
Two production sharing contracts (PSCs) had already been signed, with Heritage Energy Middle East Limited, a subsidiary of the Canadian firm Heritage Oil and Gas, and Perenco S.A., an affiliate of a French company of the same name. "The signing of the other two PSCs with experienced international companies will follow shortly," the statement said.
"The combined initial exploration investments on the upstream projects will be approximately 500 million dollars," it said. "Estimated investment on the two new refinery projects will be around 300 million dollars."
The Iraqi oil ministry did not immediately comment on the new deals, but Amira al-Baldawi, an MP from the Shiite coalition that leads the Baghdad government and a member of parliament's economic, investment and reconstruction committee, said the contracts were "illegal". "They shall be revised and put in accordance to the Iraqi law and the new oil law to be issued," Baldawi told AFP.
Last month, the Kurdish regional government inked a deal with Texas-based Hunt Oil Company, the first major oil contract awarded by any Iraqi authority to a foreign company since UN sanctions were imposed on Iraq when it invaded Kuwait in 1990. No details of the contract have been released but the Dallas company, which has links with the White House, has said it would begin its geological survey work in Dohuk province, near the border with Turkey, by the end of this year and would begin drilling in 2008.
The Hunt contract was declared "illegal" by Iraqi Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani, sparking a war of words with the regional government, which told him to stop meddling in its affairs and said he should be sacked. A senior US embassy official speaking on condition of anonymity told reporters in Baghdad last week that the Hunt deal had "needlessly elevated tensions" in Iraq. He said the US State Department had advised Hunt to wait for the Iraqi parliament to pass a much-anticipated oil and gas law that will establish a new framework for the industry but that it went ahead anyway.
The bill opens up the long state-dominated oil and gas sector to foreign investment and provides assurances that receipts will be shared equally between Iraq's 18 provinces, a measure Washington regards as key to efforts to reconcile the country's divided communities. The draft law was approved by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's national unity cabinet in July but faces a tough passage in the 275-seat parliament, where the Kurdish bloc has 53 seats. The bill is expected to come before MPs this month.
The regional government said the PSC awarded to Energy Middle East Limited covered the 1,015 square kilometre (406 square mile) Miran Block in Sulaimaniyah Governorate, "a low to medium exploration risk area." Perenco S.A. has been awarded the "high exploration risk" 2,358 square kilometre (943 square mile) Sindi/Amedi Block along the Turkish border.
Regional natural resources minister Ashti Hawrami defended the deals. "The projects will spearhead international investment for the whole of Iraq," he said. "New oil discoveries under these contracts will bring large amounts of new revenues for sharing throughout Iraq."
Labels: draft oil law, Heritage Energy Middle East Limited, Hunt Oil Company, KRG, Kurdistan, oil deals, Perenco S.A., PSCs, refinery projects
Monday, September 17, 2007
Kurdistan flights to Sweden and Germany to resume
Kurdistan
(KRG) - KRG (Kurdistan regional government) minister of transportation Burhan saeid Sofi announced during a press conference that Kurdistan Region Flights to Resume to Sweden and Germany in the next week. "Kurdistan region's sky is secure and investigations of the Swedish airlines company showed that news that allegedly Swedish airplanes has been shot were baseless" said, KRG minister of transportation.
"Flights from Sweden to Sulaimaniyah will resume by the next week, but another company will conduct those flights." He added. In August, Sweden has suspended commercial flights to and from Kurdistan region (Iraq) after an apparent rocket attack against a passenger jet as it took off from the northern city of Sulaimaniyah, the Nordic country's aviation authority said Tuesday. Sulaimaniyah International Airport Authority, Kamaran Ahmed, said a local investigation found no evidence that a missile was fired and blamed the scare on bright lights being used on the ground.
"Flights from Sweden to Sulaimaniyah will resume by the next week, but another company will conduct those flights." He added. In August, Sweden has suspended commercial flights to and from Kurdistan region (Iraq) after an apparent rocket attack against a passenger jet as it took off from the northern city of Sulaimaniyah, the Nordic country's aviation authority said Tuesday. Sulaimaniyah International Airport Authority, Kamaran Ahmed, said a local investigation found no evidence that a missile was fired and blamed the scare on bright lights being used on the ground.
Labels: Burhan saeid Sofi, Germany, KRG, Nordic Airways, Sulaimaniyah, Sweden
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
KRG defends oil contract with Hunt Oil Co.
Oil, Kurdistan
(Reuters) - The government of Iraq's Kurdish region on Tuesday defended an oil and gas production contract it has concluded with a U.S. company, rejecting remarks by the country's oil minister who questioned its legality. The semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) said on Saturday it had signed the production sharing contract with a unit of U.S.-based Hunt Oil Co. and with Impulse Energy Corp.
Media reports have quoted Iraqi Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani as saying that the deal "has no standing" because it was not approved by the central government in Baghdad. "Shahristani's recent remarks about the legality of the KRG's contracts are totally unacceptable..." said Khaled Salih, spokesman of the Kurdistan regional government, in a statement made available to Reuters. "His (Shahristani) views are totally irrelevant to what we are doing legally and constitutionally in Kurdistan.
"The deal is the first such contract since the region passed its own oil law in August, while Iraq's parliament failed to pass a national law after months of negotiations. The national law is crucial to regulating how wealth from Iraq's oil reserves, the world's third largest, will be shared out among its sectarian and ethnic groups. The reserves are mainly in the north and the south of the country. "What right does Shahristani have to question the legitimacy of contracts awarded by KRG acting under the powers of the newly enacted law passed by the unanimous decision of the Regional Parliament and according to the new Iraq constitution?" the statement said.
The deal covers exploration activity in the Dihok area. Hunt Oil Co. of the Kurdistan Region will begin geological survey and seismic work by the end of 2007 and has plans to drill an exploration well in 2008. The regional government has signed five production sharing agreements earlier with foreign companies.
Labels: Duhuk, Hunt Oil Co., Hussain al-Shahristani, Impulse Energy Corp., Khaled Salih, KRG, oil contract
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Iraqi oil minister says new U.S. - KRG oil deal is illegal
Oil, Kurdistan
(AP) -- An agreement announced this weekend between U.S.-based Hunt Oil Co. and the self-ruled Kurdish administration of northern Iraq to explore for oil is illegal, Iraq's oil minister Hussain al-Shahristani said Monday. Those comments underscore the central government's view that exploration contracts with foreign companies should be signed only after the adoption of a new national oil law, which has been stalled for months.
"Any oil deal has no standing as far as the government of Iraq is concerned," al-Shahristani said as he arrived for an OPEC meeting in Vienna. "All these contracts have to be approved by the Federal Authority before they are legal. This (contract) was not presented for approval. It has no standing."
Hunt Oil, a privately held independent oil company, and the Kurdish regional government said Saturday they had signed a production-sharing contract for petroleum exploration in the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq. Terms were not disclosed. Dallas, Texas-based Hunt declined to comment Monday. The deal is one of several the Kurds have signed with foreign oil companies in the past few years and the first since they put their own oil law into effect in August.
These deals have angered Baghdad, but the Kurdish region appears determined to advance oil exploration in the three-province area they govern in northern Iraq, as Iraq's long-delayed federal oil law remains hobbled by disagreements -- among others, about the control of revenues. Despite Iraq's vast oil reserves, major international companies have sat on the sidelines, not only for security reasons but because of the absence of legislation governing the industry and offering protection for investments.
"Any oil deal has no standing as far as the government of Iraq is concerned," al-Shahristani said as he arrived for an OPEC meeting in Vienna. "All these contracts have to be approved by the Federal Authority before they are legal. This (contract) was not presented for approval. It has no standing."
Hunt Oil, a privately held independent oil company, and the Kurdish regional government said Saturday they had signed a production-sharing contract for petroleum exploration in the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq. Terms were not disclosed. Dallas, Texas-based Hunt declined to comment Monday. The deal is one of several the Kurds have signed with foreign oil companies in the past few years and the first since they put their own oil law into effect in August.
These deals have angered Baghdad, but the Kurdish region appears determined to advance oil exploration in the three-province area they govern in northern Iraq, as Iraq's long-delayed federal oil law remains hobbled by disagreements -- among others, about the control of revenues. Despite Iraq's vast oil reserves, major international companies have sat on the sidelines, not only for security reasons but because of the absence of legislation governing the industry and offering protection for investments.
Labels: Hunt Oil Co., Hussain al-Shahristani, KRG, Kurdistan, oil, oil exploration, PSC
Monday, September 10, 2007
Texas oil company signs agreement with KRG
Oil, Kurdistan
(Associated Press) - Texas' Hunt Oil Co. and Kurdistan's regional government said Saturday they've signed a production-sharing contract for petroleum exploration in northern Iraq, the first such deal since the Kurds passed their own oil and gas law in August. A Hunt subsidiary, Hunt Oil Co. of the Kurdistan Region, will begin geological survey and seismic work by the end of 2007 and hopes to drill an exploration well in 2008, the parties said in a news release. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Hunt is a privately held independent oil company based in Dallas. A third partner, Impulse Energy Corp., also has a stake in the project. "We're very pleased to have the opportunity to be a part of these landmark events by actively participating in the establishment of the petroleum industry," Ray L. Hunt, Hunt's CEO, said in a statement. Revenue will be shared by the KRG throughout Iraq, consistent with the Iraq constitution and the Kurds' new petroleum law, issued by the Kurdistan National Assembly early last month.
Despite Iraq's vast oil reserves, major international companies have sat on the sidelines, not only for security reasons but because of the absence of legislation governing the industry and offering protection for investments. A draft oil law for all of Iraq has been bogged down for months, in part because of disputes over who will control the proceeds.
In August, however, the Kurdish self-governing region in northern Iraq enacted its own law governing foreign oil investments. The move angered the central government in Baghdad, but the Kurds are determined to push ahead with oil exploration.
IEC representative, Mr. Mathew Heysel, added, "We are pleased to partner with Hunt Oil on this important project to develop the oil and gas resources in the Kurdistan Region." Hunt Oil Company of the Kurdistan Region is a wholly-owned affiliate of the Hunt Oil Company, Dallas, Texas, USA which is a part of the Hunt family of companies directed by Ray L. Hunt. Hunt Oil Company is one of the largest privately held independent oil companies and conducts a variety of petroleum related operations in several regions of the world, including a liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Peru which is considered the largest project ever built in that country. In addition to oil and gas interests, the Hunt family of companies is engaged in real estate; private investments; refining; electrical power, ranching and farming interests.
Impulse Energy Corporation is a private company that invests in the energy sector in developing economies targeting oil, gas, and power.
Hunt is a privately held independent oil company based in Dallas. A third partner, Impulse Energy Corp., also has a stake in the project. "We're very pleased to have the opportunity to be a part of these landmark events by actively participating in the establishment of the petroleum industry," Ray L. Hunt, Hunt's CEO, said in a statement. Revenue will be shared by the KRG throughout Iraq, consistent with the Iraq constitution and the Kurds' new petroleum law, issued by the Kurdistan National Assembly early last month.
Despite Iraq's vast oil reserves, major international companies have sat on the sidelines, not only for security reasons but because of the absence of legislation governing the industry and offering protection for investments. A draft oil law for all of Iraq has been bogged down for months, in part because of disputes over who will control the proceeds.
In August, however, the Kurdish self-governing region in northern Iraq enacted its own law governing foreign oil investments. The move angered the central government in Baghdad, but the Kurds are determined to push ahead with oil exploration.
IEC representative, Mr. Mathew Heysel, added, "We are pleased to partner with Hunt Oil on this important project to develop the oil and gas resources in the Kurdistan Region." Hunt Oil Company of the Kurdistan Region is a wholly-owned affiliate of the Hunt Oil Company, Dallas, Texas, USA which is a part of the Hunt family of companies directed by Ray L. Hunt. Hunt Oil Company is one of the largest privately held independent oil companies and conducts a variety of petroleum related operations in several regions of the world, including a liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Peru which is considered the largest project ever built in that country. In addition to oil and gas interests, the Hunt family of companies is engaged in real estate; private investments; refining; electrical power, ranching and farming interests.
Impulse Energy Corporation is a private company that invests in the energy sector in developing economies targeting oil, gas, and power.
Labels: Hunt Oil Co., IEC, Impulse Energy Corp., KRG, Kurdistan, Mathew Heysel, petrol exploration, PSC, Ray L. Hunt
Friday, September 07, 2007
Kurdistan Region Oil and Gas Law published
Oil, Kurdistan
(KRG) - The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is pleased to publish the Kurdistan Region Oil and Gas Law in Arabic and English, which has now been approved by the Kurdistan National Assembly (parliament). The parliament approved the Law on 6 August, and the Law entered into force upon the assent of President Masoud Barzani on 9 August.
The first draft of this Law was published in August 2006, and has benefited from extensive comments from petroleum companies, NGOs, and citizens of the Kurdistan Region and other parts of Iraq. It was approved by the Kurdistan Region Council of Ministers in July.
The KRG is also pleased to publish an updated Kurdistan Region Model Production Sharing Contract (PSC), amended to take the new Law into account. The Arabic version of the Law is the official version. The Law will also be published in the Kurdish language in the near future.
Please submit any further comments to: spokesman(at)krg.org
Send any investment related enquiries to mnr(at)krgoil.com
The first draft of this Law was published in August 2006, and has benefited from extensive comments from petroleum companies, NGOs, and citizens of the Kurdistan Region and other parts of Iraq. It was approved by the Kurdistan Region Council of Ministers in July.
The KRG is also pleased to publish an updated Kurdistan Region Model Production Sharing Contract (PSC), amended to take the new Law into account. The Arabic version of the Law is the official version. The Law will also be published in the Kurdish language in the near future.
Please submit any further comments to: spokesman(at)krg.org
Send any investment related enquiries to mnr(at)krgoil.com
Labels: KRG, Kurdistan Region Oil and Gas Law, PSC
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Addax Petroleum and Genel Enerji to submit $1 bn. development plan for Taq Taq to KRG
Oil, Kurdistan
(Reuters) - Addax Petroleum and Genel Enerji expect to submit a $1 billion development plan within weeks to Iraq's Kurdish region for their joint venture TTopco's Taq Taq oilfield, a TTopco executive said Sunday. Output from the field could hit 200,000 barrels per day (bpd) by 2010, Les Blair, General Manager of TTopco, told Reuters.
"The production plateau is up to 200,000 bpd," Blair said. "In the coming weeks we'll submit the field development plan. Investment would be approximately $1 billion." The plan will go to Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) for approval. The blueprint requires access to an export route for the oil as output would exceed local demand, Blair said.
In May 2006, Swiss-based Addax and Turkey's Genel Enerji signed a 25-year production sharing agreement (PSA) with the KRG for Taq Taq. The oilfield is 60 kms north of the giant Kirkuk oilfield in Iraq, which has been plagued by a brutal insurgency since a U.S.-led invasion in March 2003. But the Kurdish region has been relatively stable and the government -- hungry for development -- has encouraged operators such as TTopco to begin work.
The KRG plans to boost output to one million bpd in about five years from just a few thousand bpd now. It has inked five PSAs and has said it has more deals ready to sign. The region had put new deals on hold while it waited for Baghdad to pass a controversial new federal oil law which stipulates who controls the world's third largest oil reserves and how revenue is distributed.
Washington has pushed Iraq for months to speed up its passage and that of other legislation, which it sees as pivotal to reconciling warring Iraqis, rebuilding Iraq's shattered economy and attracting foreign investment.
After months of waiting for Baghdad, the KRG passed its own oil law in August.
The KRG says the PSAs that it has already signed were in line with the constitution and the new oil law. The KRG and Baghdad have clashed over the contracts, and the KRG has said it will review them to ensure their harmony with new laws. The passing of the oil law was also expected to herald an agreement on export routes for crude from the Kurdish region.
The central government has yet to give the nod to Norwegian operator DNO to hook its oil output from the Tawke field in the Kurdish region into Iraq's main export pipeline to Turkey. DNO has already built a link from the Tawke field to the export pipeline. Output from Tawke is limited while DNO awaits permission to export, and the company has been delivering crude to local markets in trucks.
"The production plateau is up to 200,000 bpd," Blair said. "In the coming weeks we'll submit the field development plan. Investment would be approximately $1 billion." The plan will go to Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) for approval. The blueprint requires access to an export route for the oil as output would exceed local demand, Blair said.
In May 2006, Swiss-based Addax and Turkey's Genel Enerji signed a 25-year production sharing agreement (PSA) with the KRG for Taq Taq. The oilfield is 60 kms north of the giant Kirkuk oilfield in Iraq, which has been plagued by a brutal insurgency since a U.S.-led invasion in March 2003. But the Kurdish region has been relatively stable and the government -- hungry for development -- has encouraged operators such as TTopco to begin work.
The KRG plans to boost output to one million bpd in about five years from just a few thousand bpd now. It has inked five PSAs and has said it has more deals ready to sign. The region had put new deals on hold while it waited for Baghdad to pass a controversial new federal oil law which stipulates who controls the world's third largest oil reserves and how revenue is distributed.
Washington has pushed Iraq for months to speed up its passage and that of other legislation, which it sees as pivotal to reconciling warring Iraqis, rebuilding Iraq's shattered economy and attracting foreign investment.
After months of waiting for Baghdad, the KRG passed its own oil law in August.
The KRG says the PSAs that it has already signed were in line with the constitution and the new oil law. The KRG and Baghdad have clashed over the contracts, and the KRG has said it will review them to ensure their harmony with new laws. The passing of the oil law was also expected to herald an agreement on export routes for crude from the Kurdish region.
The central government has yet to give the nod to Norwegian operator DNO to hook its oil output from the Tawke field in the Kurdish region into Iraq's main export pipeline to Turkey. DNO has already built a link from the Tawke field to the export pipeline. Output from Tawke is limited while DNO awaits permission to export, and the company has been delivering crude to local markets in trucks.
Labels: Addax Petroleum, DNO, Genel Enerji, KRG, Les Blair, Taq Taq oilfield, TTopco
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
KRG, Hashimi call on Iraqi government to do more to protect Kurdish citizens
Security, Kurdistan
(RFE/RL) - Sunni Arab Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi on August 27 called on the Iraqi government to protect Kurdish citizens from shelling operations carried out by neighboring states, Al-Sharqiyah television reported the same day. Al-Hashimi said in a statement released by the Iraqi Islamic Party, which he heads, that the nearly two weeks of shelling is unjustified. He said the Iraqi government is obliged to take action to secure the areas under attack and reduce casualties.
Kurdish officials have said Iran has bombed several villages Tehran suspects of sheltering Iranian Kurdish militants. Meanwhile, state-run Al-Iraqiyah television reported on August 27 that Kurds demonstrated outside the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan headquarters in Irbil to protest Iranian and Turkish shelling of villages outside Al-Sulaymaniyah and Dahuk. Iranian government spokesman Gholamhossein Elham denied on August 22 that Iran had dropped leaflets warning Kurdish villagers to evacuate the area ahead of a planned military operation, Reuters reported the same day.
Elham refused to comment further on Iranian operations in the area, except to say: "Iran is ready to deal with groups that jeopardize the security of the people in the region without hurting civilians," the news agency reported. Turkey has denied taking part in the shelling, but Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul last week voiced possible Turkish support for a cross-border operation by Iran, turkishweekly.net reported on August 27. Kurdistan Satellite television on August 28 carried a live broadcast of the Kurdistan regional parliament's extraordinary session to discuss the reported shelling of Iraqi Kurdish villages by Iran and Turkey.
Regional parliament spokesman Tariq Jawhar told Al-Iraqiyah in an August 27 interview that the central government has said little about the shelling. "We have not yet heard any official Iraqi reaction [to the shelling] except for the statements made [on August 26] by the prime minister to the effect that the Iranian and Turkish shelling and operations violate Iraq's sovereignty.... [We] hope the Iraqi government will take practical measures and demand the Iranian and Turkish sides halt their military operations." Prime Minister al-Maliki told reporters at an August 26 press briefing in Baghdad: "The bombardments by Iran and Turkey are violations of Iraq's sovereignty. We will not allow these violations, but this must come through diplomatic channels. We will inform our brothers in Turkey and Iran about that through the Foreign Ministry."
Labels: Iran, Iraqi Islamic Party, KRG, Kurdistan, PUK, Tariq al-Hashimi, Turkey
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
KRG in discussions with Austrian Airlines to resume flights
Travel
(Kurdistan Observer) - The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and its airport authorities are in discussions with Austrian Airlines, and all are hopeful that the airline will resume flights to Erbil. The KRG was informed by Austrian on 25 August that it would temporarily suspend flights between Vienna and Erbil International Airport.
Austrian took the decision following an alleged incident at Sulaimani International Airport reported by the pilot of Nordic Airways, a Swedish charter airline, earlier this month. After thorough investigation, the KRG has found no evidence of foul play at or in the area surrounding Sulaimani airport. The Erbil International Airport authority understands the concerns that led Austrian to its decision, even though the alleged incident took place at another airport and KRG investigations have found no evidence to substantiate the report.
The airport authorities and the KRG would like to stress that the safety of passengers and crews is their priority. The cities of Erbil and Sulaimani and their international airports are peaceful. Security in and around both airports is the KRG’s highest priority and is maintained to the highest degree. The KRG, Erbil International Airport and Sulaimani International Airport are in discussion with Austrian, and all sides hope and expect Austrian Airlines to continue to operate its very successful and popular flights to Erbil. Meanwhile flights from Frankfurt, Dubai, Istanbul, Amman, Beirut, Tehran, Damascus and other cities to Erbil have maintained their regular schedules. Flights from Munich, Dubai, Amman and other cities to Suleimaniah continue.
Labels: Austrian Airlines, Erbil, KRG, Nordic Airways
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
leaflets warn villagers of Iranian offensive against Kurdish rebels
Region
(Reuters) - Kurdish authorities in northeastern Iraq said on Tuesday they were investigating the authenticity of leaflets warning villagers to evacuate ahead of an Iranian military offensive against Kurdish rebels. Hundreds of villagers have fled their homes in Iraq's mountainous northeast while others hid in caves after what local authorities said was days of intermittent shelling by Iran across the border.
So far there has been no official comment from either Tehran or Baghdad about the shelling. Cross-border skirmishes occasionally occur as Iraq's neighbours Turkey and Iran combat Kurdish separatist rebels operating from bases in Iraq's mountainous and remote north and northeast. The government of Iraq's largely autonomous region of Kurdistan said it was investigating after villagers said they had seen the leaflets thrown from helicopters on Monday.
Residents said there were no identifying marks on the leaflets, written in Kurdish, apart from the words "The Islamic Republic of Iran" across the top and bottom. The leaflets said villagers had 48 hours to evacuate before an Iranian offensive began. "They do not carry an official stamp of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards or the Iranian Defence Ministry," said Jamal Abdullah, a spokesman for the Kurdish government.
"These leaflets made many people leave their homes."
The leaflets said the offensive would be around the villages of Qandoul, Haj Omran and Isaw and the town of Qal'at Dizah, 325 km (200 miles) north of Baghdad. Two women have been wounded, livestock killed, farms and orchards set ablaze and homes damaged in the shelling near small villages across a front of about 50 km (30 miles), local officials have said in the past three days.
On Saturday, the Iranian news agency Mehr said an Iranian army helicopter which crashed near the border of northern Iraq had been engaged in an operation against the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan, an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Turkey blames the PKK for the deaths of more than 30,000 people since 1984, when it launched its struggle for an ethnic homeland in Turkey's southeast.
So far there has been no official comment from either Tehran or Baghdad about the shelling. Cross-border skirmishes occasionally occur as Iraq's neighbours Turkey and Iran combat Kurdish separatist rebels operating from bases in Iraq's mountainous and remote north and northeast. The government of Iraq's largely autonomous region of Kurdistan said it was investigating after villagers said they had seen the leaflets thrown from helicopters on Monday.
Residents said there were no identifying marks on the leaflets, written in Kurdish, apart from the words "The Islamic Republic of Iran" across the top and bottom. The leaflets said villagers had 48 hours to evacuate before an Iranian offensive began. "They do not carry an official stamp of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards or the Iranian Defence Ministry," said Jamal Abdullah, a spokesman for the Kurdish government.
"These leaflets made many people leave their homes."
The leaflets said the offensive would be around the villages of Qandoul, Haj Omran and Isaw and the town of Qal'at Dizah, 325 km (200 miles) north of Baghdad. Two women have been wounded, livestock killed, farms and orchards set ablaze and homes damaged in the shelling near small villages across a front of about 50 km (30 miles), local officials have said in the past three days.
On Saturday, the Iranian news agency Mehr said an Iranian army helicopter which crashed near the border of northern Iraq had been engaged in an operation against the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan, an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Turkey blames the PKK for the deaths of more than 30,000 people since 1984, when it launched its struggle for an ethnic homeland in Turkey's southeast.
Labels: Haj Omran, Iran, Isaw, KRG, PJAK, PKK, Qandoul, Revolutionary Guards
Yezidi leaders meet to plot a response after the bombings
Security
(The Guardian) - Aside from the physical damage it wrought, the coordinated bombing attack by suspected al-Qaida operatives revived fears among the Yezidi community, one of the region's oldest ethno-religious groups, of annihilation at the hands of their religious enemies - in this case, Sunni extremists. Along with other religious minorities in Iraq who initially rejoiced at the toppling of the Ba'athist regime, Yezidi Kurds say the subsequent chaos and political paralysis has left them as vulne0rable as before.
"The attack came as no surprise to us," Prince Tahseen Sayid Ali, the temporal leader of the Yezidis, told the Guardian in his headquarters in Sheikhan, about 40 miles north-east of Mosul. Last April, the community came under the international spotlight when a Yezidi girl married a Muslim boy and was reported to have converted to Islam. She was promptly stoned to death by a mob in her hometown of Bazan. The murder was caught on a mobile phone camera and distributed on the internet. Yezidi leaders condemned the killing, but the damage was done.
"The attack came as no surprise to us," Prince Tahseen Sayid Ali, the temporal leader of the Yezidis, told the Guardian in his headquarters in Sheikhan, about 40 miles north-east of Mosul. Last April, the community came under the international spotlight when a Yezidi girl married a Muslim boy and was reported to have converted to Islam. She was promptly stoned to death by a mob in her hometown of Bazan. The murder was caught on a mobile phone camera and distributed on the internet. Yezidi leaders condemned the killing, but the damage was done.
In response, gunmen pulled 23 Yezidi workers off a bus near Mosul and shot them dead. Hundreds of Yezidi students at Mosul university have since either fled or moved to universities inside the Kurdish autonomous area. For the past month, said Prince Tahseen, Yezidi leaders in Sinjar had been complaining of threats by Islamists. They said the militants, holed up among local Sunni Arab settlements along the Syrian border, had effectively blockaded Yezidi towns, preventing delivery of foodstuffs and fuel.
"The Islamic terrorists had made it very clear that they wanted to see rivers of Yezidi blood," said Prince Tahseen. But no one, least of all the US army, which is nominally in control of the region, was listening. "I'm sure it will happen again unless we take steps to protect ourselves," he said. "We are a peaceful people. We don't have force of arms. The only protection is for all the Yezidis is to be part of the Kurdish self-rule zone. But whether the Arabs allow us to vote on it as the constitution says we should, is another question."
In past centuries, the Yezidi tribes had been very powerful, covering large areas of Kurdistan. But waves of persecution, particularly under the Ottomans, has meant there are only isolated groups left in Iraq: in the foothills of Kurdish mountains and further south-west in the vicinity of Jebel Sinjar. Their numbers, thought to be only a few hundred thousand, had already dwindled by the 2003 US invasion. As part of his Arabi-sation campaign, Saddam uprooted Yezidis from their ancestral lands in Sinjar, herding many of them into new "collective towns" which were little more than large concentration camps.
But the Yezidis who live to the east of Mosul have fared better. There lies the town of Sheikhan, where the prince holds court, and their main religious centre at Lalish, in a steep, wooded valley punctuated with ribbed white conical towers that mark the positions of Yezidi shrines and tombs.
"The Islamic terrorists had made it very clear that they wanted to see rivers of Yezidi blood," said Prince Tahseen. But no one, least of all the US army, which is nominally in control of the region, was listening. "I'm sure it will happen again unless we take steps to protect ourselves," he said. "We are a peaceful people. We don't have force of arms. The only protection is for all the Yezidis is to be part of the Kurdish self-rule zone. But whether the Arabs allow us to vote on it as the constitution says we should, is another question."
In past centuries, the Yezidi tribes had been very powerful, covering large areas of Kurdistan. But waves of persecution, particularly under the Ottomans, has meant there are only isolated groups left in Iraq: in the foothills of Kurdish mountains and further south-west in the vicinity of Jebel Sinjar. Their numbers, thought to be only a few hundred thousand, had already dwindled by the 2003 US invasion. As part of his Arabi-sation campaign, Saddam uprooted Yezidis from their ancestral lands in Sinjar, herding many of them into new "collective towns" which were little more than large concentration camps.
But the Yezidis who live to the east of Mosul have fared better. There lies the town of Sheikhan, where the prince holds court, and their main religious centre at Lalish, in a steep, wooded valley punctuated with ribbed white conical towers that mark the positions of Yezidi shrines and tombs.
These areas abut the Kurd's autonomous region, the most tranquil part of Iraq. Several Yezidis hold positions in the Kurdish administration and sit in the regional parliament. They are trying to convince their brethren in the Sinjar area to join them, by voting in a referendum planned for the end of the year. A recent survey suggested that 80% of Yezidis may opt to join the Kurdistan regional government if given guarantees of religious and communal freedom.
"If we are all united inside the Kurdistan federal region, then we can have better protection and also have a better chance of asking for our rights," said Prince Tahseen. That may be one main reason why they were attacked, he says.
There was no doubting the galvanising effects that the attack has had. Prince Tahseen, whose royal line is said to date back some 500 years, and his spiritual counterpart - the Yezidi's equivalent of the Pope -Baba Sheikh Khorto Haji Ismael, convened a gathering of tribal leaders in Sheikhan yesterday to plot a response. It included money and political support and a determination to bring Yezidis inside the Kurdish ruled areas for safety. After the meeting the men and their entourage left in a long convoy for Sinjar.
"If we are all united inside the Kurdistan federal region, then we can have better protection and also have a better chance of asking for our rights," said Prince Tahseen. That may be one main reason why they were attacked, he says.
There was no doubting the galvanising effects that the attack has had. Prince Tahseen, whose royal line is said to date back some 500 years, and his spiritual counterpart - the Yezidi's equivalent of the Pope -Baba Sheikh Khorto Haji Ismael, convened a gathering of tribal leaders in Sheikhan yesterday to plot a response. It included money and political support and a determination to bring Yezidis inside the Kurdish ruled areas for safety. After the meeting the men and their entourage left in a long convoy for Sinjar.
Labels: Baba Sheikh Khorto Haji Ismael, KRG, Prince Tahseen Sayid Ali, Sheikhan, Sinjar, tribal, Yezidis
Monday, August 20, 2007
Kurdish officials concerned as fierce clashes escalate between Kurdish guerrillas and Iranian forces
Security
(The Guardian) - Iraqi Kurdish officials expressed deepening concern yesterday at an upsurge in fierce clashes between Kurdish guerrillas and Iranian forces in the remote border area of north-east Iraq, where Tehran has recently deployed thousands of Revolutionary Guards.
Jabar Yawar, a deputy minister in the Kurdistan regional government, said four days of intermittent shelling by Iranian forces had hit mountain villages high up on the Iraqi side of the border, wounding two women, destroying livestock and property, and displacing about 1,000 people from their homes. Mr Yawer said there had also been intense fighting on the Iraqi border between Iranian forces and guerrillas of the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK), an armed Iranian Kurdish group that is stepping up its campaign for Kurdish rights against the theocratic regime in Tehran.
On Saturday the Iranian news agency Mehr said an Iranian army helicopter which crashed killing six Republican Guard members had been engaged in a military operation against PJAK. Iranian officials said the helicopter had crashed into the side of a mountain during bad weather in northern Iraq. PJAK sources said the helicopter had been destroyed after it attempted to land in a clearing mined by guerrillas. The PJAK sources claimed its guerrillas had also killed at least five other Iranian soldiers, and a local pro-regime chief, Hussein Bapir.
"If this escalates it could pose a real threat to the Kurdistan region, which is Iraq's most stable area," said Mr Yawar, who said he expected the Iraqi government and US officials in Iraq to make a formal protest to Tehran about the "blatant violation of Iraqi sovereignty".
Analysts believe PJAK is the fastest growing armed resistance group in Iran. As well as the 3,000 or so members under arms in the mountains, it also claims tens of thousands of followers in secret cells in Iranian Kurdistan. Its campaigning on women's rights has struck a chord with young Iranian Kurdish women. The group says 45% of its fighters are female. Iranian authorities regard the group as a terrorist outfit being sponsored and armed by the US to increase pressure on Iran.
On a recent visit to PJAK camps in the Qandil mountains the Guardian saw no evidence of American weaponry. The majority of its fighters toted Soviet-era Kalashnikovs. In an interview Biryar Gabar, a member of the leadership committee, said the group had no relations with the Americans, but was "open to any group that shares our ideals of a free federal democratic and secular Iran."
Jabar Yawar, a deputy minister in the Kurdistan regional government, said four days of intermittent shelling by Iranian forces had hit mountain villages high up on the Iraqi side of the border, wounding two women, destroying livestock and property, and displacing about 1,000 people from their homes. Mr Yawer said there had also been intense fighting on the Iraqi border between Iranian forces and guerrillas of the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK), an armed Iranian Kurdish group that is stepping up its campaign for Kurdish rights against the theocratic regime in Tehran.
On Saturday the Iranian news agency Mehr said an Iranian army helicopter which crashed killing six Republican Guard members had been engaged in a military operation against PJAK. Iranian officials said the helicopter had crashed into the side of a mountain during bad weather in northern Iraq. PJAK sources said the helicopter had been destroyed after it attempted to land in a clearing mined by guerrillas. The PJAK sources claimed its guerrillas had also killed at least five other Iranian soldiers, and a local pro-regime chief, Hussein Bapir.
"If this escalates it could pose a real threat to the Kurdistan region, which is Iraq's most stable area," said Mr Yawar, who said he expected the Iraqi government and US officials in Iraq to make a formal protest to Tehran about the "blatant violation of Iraqi sovereignty".
Analysts believe PJAK is the fastest growing armed resistance group in Iran. As well as the 3,000 or so members under arms in the mountains, it also claims tens of thousands of followers in secret cells in Iranian Kurdistan. Its campaigning on women's rights has struck a chord with young Iranian Kurdish women. The group says 45% of its fighters are female. Iranian authorities regard the group as a terrorist outfit being sponsored and armed by the US to increase pressure on Iran.
On a recent visit to PJAK camps in the Qandil mountains the Guardian saw no evidence of American weaponry. The majority of its fighters toted Soviet-era Kalashnikovs. In an interview Biryar Gabar, a member of the leadership committee, said the group had no relations with the Americans, but was "open to any group that shares our ideals of a free federal democratic and secular Iran."
Labels: Biryar Gabar, IDPs, Iran, Jabar Yawar, KRG, Kurdistan, Kurdistan Free Life Party, PJAK, Qandil mountains, Revolutionary Guards
Friday, August 17, 2007
Yezidi leader blames Iraq, Iran for attack
Security
(Al-Sharqiyah television) - Yezidi leader Anwar Mu'awiyah al-Umawi has accused the Iraqi government and Iran of responsibility for the August 15 attacks. He told Al-Sharqiyah television in an August 15 interview from Germany: "We received direct reports from informed sources in the area that the Iraqi government played a role [in the attacks]. Gangs affiliated with Iran are known to carry out such attacks. We should not forget that Iraq is not only under U.S. occupation. Iraq is under both U.S. and Iranian occupation.
These operations are meant to harm the Iraqis rather than a certain sect." Al-Umawi said his people have no one to turn to for support. "Iraq is now run by the traitors, while patriotic Iraqi figures, prominent leaders, and secular trends are abroad. So, who is there to complain to? Shall we complain to the Iranians, who are the enemies of Iraq? Shall we complain to the Americans, who are occupying the country? We have only God to complain to."
The Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council blamed "criminal gangs" for the Sinjar attack in an August 16 press release posted to the Shi'ite party's website. Though it did not accuse any party of carrying out the attack, the party's statement implied that Sunni Arabs are to blame. The statement called on Iraqi tribes and "popular forces" to work with Iraqi security services to "rid the Iraqi people of their killers."
In an August 15 statement, President Talabani called the bombings another episode of genocide carried out by "takfiri" (Muslims who consider other Muslims to be infidels) terrorists against all segments of the Iraqi people, Al-Iraqiyah television reported. Kurdistan regional President Barzani accused the intelligence agencies of unidentified regional countries of carrying out the attacks, Al-Sharqiyah television reported.
Meanwhile, the Sunni Arab Muslim Scholars Association said it holds the Iraqi government and coalition forces responsible for the attacks. The statement also implied Iran was behind the bombings. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called the bombings a "horrific crime," and stressed "the urgent need for all Iraqi leaders, regardless of their political or religious affiliations, to work together to protect civilian lives and to dedicate themselves towards a meaningful dialogue aimed at ending the violence and achieving lasting national reconciliation," according to a UN press release. The U.S. military has said the bombings bore the hallmark of Al-Qaeda in Iraq.
Kurdistan regional government Heath Minister Abd al-Rahman Yunis said the Kurdistan regional government and the Iraqi Red Crescent have begun to deliver relief supplies, food, and medicine to the villages.
Labels: Al Qaeda, AMS, Anwar Mu'awiyah al-Umawi, Iran, Iraqi government, Iraqi Red Crescent, KRG, SICI, Sinjar, Yezidis
Iraqi Yazidis speak out
Security
(BBC) -- The bomb attacks in northern Iraq on Tuesday targeted the Yazidi sect - a vulnerable religious minority. People in the area are due to vote on whether to come under the control of the Kurdistan Regional Government later this year. Two Yazidis reflect on the bombings and why they happened.
Khidir Domle, 39, Yazidi Journalist, Dohuk: "The attacks were not totally unexpected, because the security situation in the area had been getting worse every day. Several of our relatives were hit. Two of them are dead, six are wounded and three others from one single family are still missing and we don't know where they are.
We don't know if they have been moved to hospitals in Talafar, a town near Mosul, or not. I think the motives for the attacks are ethnic - those people were Kurdish - as well as religious. Even neighbouring Arab villages had been threatening Yazidis, trying to stop them voting for Kurdistan in forthcoming polls. Over the past two weeks, the threat from extremist groups like al-Qaeda had also increased.
Yazidis constitute the majority in the area that was targeted; the attacks were aimed at intimidating people. Iraqi government security forces are in charge there, because it is close to the Syrian border. Those forces are not able to control the borders. Kurdish security forces have little influence there. A few weeks ago dozens of local security and police forces quit their jobs because of threats by terrorists.
Such bombings may encourage people even more to vote to become part of Kurdistan in a referendum. But what will encourage them most is the promise of better services for people in the area."
Elias Baba Sheikh, 51: Elias is a local official of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, one of the two main Kurdish political parties. "None of my close relatives was affected by the attack, but I consider all Yazidis to be my relatives. Dozens of houses have been reduced to rubble. The exact number of the casualties is not clear yet. In the Azadi hospital of Dohuk, I saw many injured lying on beds, many of them in a critical condition. The major motive behind the attacks was obviously political, because the people targeted had already shown their tendency to join areas administered by the Kurdistan Regional Government.
There were also religious motives. These people even kill Muslims, so why wouldn't they kill Yazidis? The impact of these bombings is that it will strengthen people's resolve to hold a referendum and carry out article 140 of the constitution. [Article 140 calls for a referendum in areas claimed by both Kurds and Arabs on whether they should come under Kurdish government control.] A statement by Yazidi religious and political leaders called on the Kurdish Regional Government to send Kurdish forces to the area to protect them."
Khidir Domle, 39, Yazidi Journalist, Dohuk: "The attacks were not totally unexpected, because the security situation in the area had been getting worse every day. Several of our relatives were hit. Two of them are dead, six are wounded and three others from one single family are still missing and we don't know where they are.
We don't know if they have been moved to hospitals in Talafar, a town near Mosul, or not. I think the motives for the attacks are ethnic - those people were Kurdish - as well as religious. Even neighbouring Arab villages had been threatening Yazidis, trying to stop them voting for Kurdistan in forthcoming polls. Over the past two weeks, the threat from extremist groups like al-Qaeda had also increased.
Yazidis constitute the majority in the area that was targeted; the attacks were aimed at intimidating people. Iraqi government security forces are in charge there, because it is close to the Syrian border. Those forces are not able to control the borders. Kurdish security forces have little influence there. A few weeks ago dozens of local security and police forces quit their jobs because of threats by terrorists.
Such bombings may encourage people even more to vote to become part of Kurdistan in a referendum. But what will encourage them most is the promise of better services for people in the area."
Elias Baba Sheikh, 51: Elias is a local official of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, one of the two main Kurdish political parties. "None of my close relatives was affected by the attack, but I consider all Yazidis to be my relatives. Dozens of houses have been reduced to rubble. The exact number of the casualties is not clear yet. In the Azadi hospital of Dohuk, I saw many injured lying on beds, many of them in a critical condition. The major motive behind the attacks was obviously political, because the people targeted had already shown their tendency to join areas administered by the Kurdistan Regional Government.
There were also religious motives. These people even kill Muslims, so why wouldn't they kill Yazidis? The impact of these bombings is that it will strengthen people's resolve to hold a referendum and carry out article 140 of the constitution. [Article 140 calls for a referendum in areas claimed by both Kurds and Arabs on whether they should come under Kurdish government control.] A statement by Yazidi religious and political leaders called on the Kurdish Regional Government to send Kurdish forces to the area to protect them."
Labels: Article 140, Iraqi Yazidis, KRG, referendum
Thursday, August 09, 2007
AMS urges foreign companies not to make oil deals with KRG
Politics, Oil
(Voices of Iraq) - The Sunni Association of Muslim Scholars (AMS) urged foreign companies on Tuesday night not to conclude deals with the government of Iraq's Kurdistan region in light of the approved oil and gas law.
"The parliament of the Kurdistan region approved, under pressure from its politicians, a law for oil and gas, allowing the establishment of a national oil company, which gives it the right to conclude oil contracts with other companies," the AMS said in a statement received by the independent news agency Voices of Iraq on Tuesday night. AMS, which stands for a strong central government and opposes loose federalism, is linked to the 1920 Revolution Brigades guerrilla group.
"Kurdish officials have no right to handle Iraqis' oil wealth which belongs to all Iraqi citizens, not just a certain group or faction," the statement added. Iraq's Kurdistan’s parliament passed the draft law on oil and gas involving the northern Iraqi region on Monday, after more than a month of debate.
The draft law is still under debate by the Iraqi national parliament. According to current draft of the law under consideration by the parliament, there should be no contradiction between the oil law, if passed by the national parliament, and that adopted by the regions, otherwise the law adopted by the Iraqi national parliament will take precedence.
The AMS issued last month what it described as an "Islamic fatwa," which considers the Iraqi government's ratification of the draft oil law as an abhorrent measure according to Islamic law, and that voting for it would "harm the interests of Muslim Iraqis." A statement by the association considered the law to be "part of transactions concluded with the occupier by politicians who came with the occupier, which will lead to the plunder of the country's gross national wealth."
The law for the management of oil resources is considered one of the most controversial issues in Iraq, and there are differences among political blocs on the law regarding the equitable distribution of revenue. Most of Iraq's known oil reserves are located in the Shiite-dominated south and the Kurdish north. Iraq sits on the world's third-largest oil reserves and officials have sought, since last year, to finalize the draft law.
The law gives Iraqi and foreign investors the right to set up refineries and oil facilities and to invest in them for 50 years, after which they will belong to the Iraqi government. The Kurdistan regional government has signed several agreements with foreign companies regarding investments in the oil sector.
"The parliament of the Kurdistan region approved, under pressure from its politicians, a law for oil and gas, allowing the establishment of a national oil company, which gives it the right to conclude oil contracts with other companies," the AMS said in a statement received by the independent news agency Voices of Iraq on Tuesday night. AMS, which stands for a strong central government and opposes loose federalism, is linked to the 1920 Revolution Brigades guerrilla group.
"Kurdish officials have no right to handle Iraqis' oil wealth which belongs to all Iraqi citizens, not just a certain group or faction," the statement added. Iraq's Kurdistan’s parliament passed the draft law on oil and gas involving the northern Iraqi region on Monday, after more than a month of debate.
The draft law is still under debate by the Iraqi national parliament. According to current draft of the law under consideration by the parliament, there should be no contradiction between the oil law, if passed by the national parliament, and that adopted by the regions, otherwise the law adopted by the Iraqi national parliament will take precedence.
The AMS issued last month what it described as an "Islamic fatwa," which considers the Iraqi government's ratification of the draft oil law as an abhorrent measure according to Islamic law, and that voting for it would "harm the interests of Muslim Iraqis." A statement by the association considered the law to be "part of transactions concluded with the occupier by politicians who came with the occupier, which will lead to the plunder of the country's gross national wealth."
The law for the management of oil resources is considered one of the most controversial issues in Iraq, and there are differences among political blocs on the law regarding the equitable distribution of revenue. Most of Iraq's known oil reserves are located in the Shiite-dominated south and the Kurdish north. Iraq sits on the world's third-largest oil reserves and officials have sought, since last year, to finalize the draft law.
The law gives Iraqi and foreign investors the right to set up refineries and oil facilities and to invest in them for 50 years, after which they will belong to the Iraqi government. The Kurdistan regional government has signed several agreements with foreign companies regarding investments in the oil sector.
Labels: AMS, Association of Muslim Scholars, foreign companies, KRG, Kurdistan, oil law
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
KRG passes draft oil and gas law
Oil, Kurdistan
(Voices of Iraq) - Iraq's Kurdistan parliament passed on Monday the draft law of oil and gas concerning the northern Iraqi region after more than a month of debate. "Kurdistan parliament adopted today all articles concerning the region's oil and gas draft law after a debate that continued for eight extraordinary sessions," Kurdistan MP Ariz Abdullah told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
The 62-article-bill was endorsed after amendments were made to some articles, Abdullah said. Meanwhile, the media spokesman for the Kurdistan parliament Tareq Jawhar told VOI "following extensive discussions and crossing out five articles from the oil and gas draft law, the bill was passed in today's session."
The media spokesman added "the House also added two more articles to the adopted draft law concerning allocating part of the oil revenues to save environment and to families of victims killed under the previous regime." The 111-seat-Kurdistan parliament is composed of two major blocs, the Green represented by members of the Talabani-led Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Yellow represented by members of the Barazani-led Kurdistan Democratic Party.
The blocs were named after the colors they adopted during the first general election held in Kurdistan region in 1992. There is also another draft law on oil and gas in the whole country, which expected to be discussed in the Federal parliament in September after it will be back from recess. According to the presented oil draft law to the central parliament, there should be no contradiction between the oil law, if passed by the central parliament, and that adopted by regions, otherwise the law adopted by the Iraqi House will be the effective.
The draft oil and gas law for the management of oil resources is considered one of the most controversial issues in Iraq, and there are differences among political blocs on the law regarding the equitable distribution of revenue. The law, if approved by parliament, will give Iraqi and foreign investors the right to set up establishments and oil refineries and use them for 50 years.
Most of Iraq's known oil reserves are located in the Shiite-dominated south and the Kurdish north. Iraq sits on the world's third-largest oil reserves and officials have sought, since last year, to finalize the draft law. The law is vital for attracting foreign investment to Iraq, to boost its oil output and rebuild its economy. The Kurdistan regional government has signed several agreements with foreign companies regarding investments in the oil sector.
The 62-article-bill was endorsed after amendments were made to some articles, Abdullah said. Meanwhile, the media spokesman for the Kurdistan parliament Tareq Jawhar told VOI "following extensive discussions and crossing out five articles from the oil and gas draft law, the bill was passed in today's session."
The media spokesman added "the House also added two more articles to the adopted draft law concerning allocating part of the oil revenues to save environment and to families of victims killed under the previous regime." The 111-seat-Kurdistan parliament is composed of two major blocs, the Green represented by members of the Talabani-led Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Yellow represented by members of the Barazani-led Kurdistan Democratic Party.
The blocs were named after the colors they adopted during the first general election held in Kurdistan region in 1992. There is also another draft law on oil and gas in the whole country, which expected to be discussed in the Federal parliament in September after it will be back from recess. According to the presented oil draft law to the central parliament, there should be no contradiction between the oil law, if passed by the central parliament, and that adopted by regions, otherwise the law adopted by the Iraqi House will be the effective.
The draft oil and gas law for the management of oil resources is considered one of the most controversial issues in Iraq, and there are differences among political blocs on the law regarding the equitable distribution of revenue. The law, if approved by parliament, will give Iraqi and foreign investors the right to set up establishments and oil refineries and use them for 50 years.
Most of Iraq's known oil reserves are located in the Shiite-dominated south and the Kurdish north. Iraq sits on the world's third-largest oil reserves and officials have sought, since last year, to finalize the draft law. The law is vital for attracting foreign investment to Iraq, to boost its oil output and rebuild its economy. The Kurdistan regional government has signed several agreements with foreign companies regarding investments in the oil sector.
Labels: draft oil law, KDP, KRG, PUK
Monday, August 06, 2007
Allawi and Barzani to meet for political discussions
Politics
(Voices of Iraq) - Iraq's Kurdistan President Massoud Barzani will meet former Iraqi Prime Minister and Head of the Iraqi National List (INL) Ayad Allawi in Erbil to discuss developments in the Iraqi political process, the head of Barzani's office, Fouad Hussein, said on Saturday. The meeting will take place at the headquarters of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and cabinet in northeastern the capital city of Erbil, Hussein said. Hussein did not give further details of the meeting, but ruled out a press conference between the two leaders. The meeting comes after the withdrawal of the Iraqi Accordance Front (IAF) from the government and threats by the INL to follow suit. The INL holds 24 seats in the 275-member parliament.
Labels: Erbil, Iraqi National List, Iyad Allawi, KRG, Massoud Barzani
Friday, August 03, 2007
KRG approves part of own oil law
Kurdistan
(UPI) - The Kurdistan Regional government in Iraq has approved part of its own oil law while a federal law is far from approval. The KRG's Parliament met in special session Tuesday and approved four of the 62 articles of the law governing regional oil and natural gas resources, the Voices of Iraq news agency reports. Lawmaker Areez Abdullah said Parliament will continue taking up the law during upcoming special sessions.
The vast majority of Iraq's 115 billion barrels of oil is located in the Shiite-controlled south and Kurdish north. Iraq produces about 2 million barrels per day now, below the 2.6 million bpd pre-war level. Iraq's Parliament has been urged by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and pressured by President Bush to approve a federal oil law. That law is far from approval because of the varying standpoints of Iraq's political, ethnic and religious factions as well as the oil unions over how much control the central government should have over key oil fields vs. the regional/local governments as well as the role of foreign companies.
The Kurds have wanted action from Baghdad but are now moving forward on their own oil law. The KRG area is different from the violent and chaotic rest of Iraq. It has experienced relatively little violence and modest economic development. The two main KRG parties disagreed on the regional oil law last week. The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, the party of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, walked out of a session after its request to stall the regional law was denied.
Labels: Areez Abdullah, KRG, oil law
KRG invests $350 mn. in extension of Erbil Airport
Kurdistan
(Kurdish Globe) - Director General of the Erbil International Airport, Tahir Horami, explained in an interview with The Kurdish Globe that credit for the idea of establishing the modern airport must be given to Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani, who knew it would open up the Kurdistan Region to the rest of the world.
"This airbase needed to be drastically changed from a base that historically had been a site of destruction and disaster brought upon the Kurds, to a civil service establishment," Horami said. Now, nearly 30,000 people travel to and from Kurdistan monthly via the airport, which has also positively influenced business in the region. Immediately after it opened, construction and investment increased tremendously.
"Kurdistan was a closed zone before. Because of the neighbor's policy toward the region, some people, especially investors, were not ready to incur difficulties in order to do business in Kurdistan," he said. Due to the relative safety of Kurdistan, particularly the firm security measures taken at the airport, many other people around Iraq choose to travel via Erbil International Airport. Travelers sometimes get annoyed when passing through the check points, though. "We assure those people that the measures are for their own safety; we ask them to be more patient."
The airport, which accommodates travel to and from Baghdad, neighboring countries, and a number of European countries, is receiving more passengers than it expected to. They are building a new, longer runway and a bigger terminal building with modern standards, Horami said. The KRG has dedicated $350 million(USD) to the airport, most of it to be spent on a new project designed by the Scott Wilson group (a British company) and executed by Macul (a Turkish company).
The new landing strip currently under construction will be one of the biggest in the world, 4.8 kilometers long and 90 meters wide. Horami announced that the project would be finished at the end of 2007 and will then be able to accommodate the world's biggest planes, such as a Boeing 777 or an Airbus A380. The project's terminal will be wide enough to receive 3 million passengers annually.
"This airbase needed to be drastically changed from a base that historically had been a site of destruction and disaster brought upon the Kurds, to a civil service establishment," Horami said. Now, nearly 30,000 people travel to and from Kurdistan monthly via the airport, which has also positively influenced business in the region. Immediately after it opened, construction and investment increased tremendously.
"Kurdistan was a closed zone before. Because of the neighbor's policy toward the region, some people, especially investors, were not ready to incur difficulties in order to do business in Kurdistan," he said. Due to the relative safety of Kurdistan, particularly the firm security measures taken at the airport, many other people around Iraq choose to travel via Erbil International Airport. Travelers sometimes get annoyed when passing through the check points, though. "We assure those people that the measures are for their own safety; we ask them to be more patient."
The airport, which accommodates travel to and from Baghdad, neighboring countries, and a number of European countries, is receiving more passengers than it expected to. They are building a new, longer runway and a bigger terminal building with modern standards, Horami said. The KRG has dedicated $350 million(USD) to the airport, most of it to be spent on a new project designed by the Scott Wilson group (a British company) and executed by Macul (a Turkish company).
The new landing strip currently under construction will be one of the biggest in the world, 4.8 kilometers long and 90 meters wide. Horami announced that the project would be finished at the end of 2007 and will then be able to accommodate the world's biggest planes, such as a Boeing 777 or an Airbus A380. The project's terminal will be wide enough to receive 3 million passengers annually.
Labels: Erbil International Airport, KRG, Macul, Scott Wilson group, Tahir Horami
