Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Census to be carried out in Kirkuk in November
(RFE/RL) - A full census will be carried out in the contested oil-rich governorate of Kirkuk in mid-November, said Narmin Uthman, the deputy head of the Higher Commission for the Implementation of Article 140 of the constitution, Kurdish media reported on October 4. Article 140 concerns repatriation of those displaced under Saddam Hussein's regime to their original homes. As it applies to Kirkuk, the article paves the way for thousands of Kurds displaced from their homes to return to the governorate. It also requires that tens of thousands of Arab families resettled in Kirkuk under Hussein must return to their homes and villages in the south of the country.
The census, called for in the constitution, will be followed by a referendum by residents in Kirkuk to decide whether to join the Kurdistan region or remain outside it. International media reported this week that the commission has begun to compensate Arab families for leaving their homes in Kirkuk. The government is offering 20 million dinars (around $16,000) to each family that leaves Kirkuk and relocates to their original homes. The number of Arab families living in Kirkuk is not known, but estimates run between 70,000 and 135,000 families.
Labels: Article 140, census, Kirkuk, Narmin Uthman
Friday, October 05, 2007
Arabs paid compensation to leave Kirkuk
(Gulf News) - The process of paying compensation for Arabs to leave Kirkuk and settle in other places has started, the governor of the troubled Iraqi province said. Abdul Rahman Mustafa, Governor of Kirkuk, told Gulf News: "The compensation process has already begun and every Arab who wishes to leave Kirkuk is being paid about 20 million Iraqi dinars ($16,000, Dh58,848). The compensation has been approved by the Committee for Normalising Situation in Kirkuk.
"The process is transparent and without any external pressure, and this first phase to implement Article 140 it will be followed by the census and referendum processes to determine Kirkuk's fate," he said. According to Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution, compensations will be paid to Shiite and Sunni Arab residents of the province to facilitate their return to native provinces. Kirkuk is facing a struggle for its identity between Kurds on one side and Arabs and Turkmen from the other. Thousands of Kurds were displaced from the province during Saddam Hussain's regime.
Mohammad Arslan, a member of the Turkmen Front in Kirkuk, told Gulf News: "The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdish Democratic Party are trying to change the province's demography by forcing Arabs and Turkmen to leave Kirkuk. I think people are being forced to accept compensations ... this will lead to confrontation."
"The process is transparent and without any external pressure, and this first phase to implement Article 140 it will be followed by the census and referendum processes to determine Kirkuk's fate," he said. According to Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution, compensations will be paid to Shiite and Sunni Arab residents of the province to facilitate their return to native provinces. Kirkuk is facing a struggle for its identity between Kurds on one side and Arabs and Turkmen from the other. Thousands of Kurds were displaced from the province during Saddam Hussain's regime.
Mohammad Arslan, a member of the Turkmen Front in Kirkuk, told Gulf News: "The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdish Democratic Party are trying to change the province's demography by forcing Arabs and Turkmen to leave Kirkuk. I think people are being forced to accept compensations ... this will lead to confrontation."
Labels: Abdul Rahman Mustafa, Article 140, compensation, Iraqi Turkmen Front, Kirkuk, Mohammad Arslan
Monday, September 17, 2007
Ethnic violence forces more Arabs to flee Kirkuk
Security
(IRIN) -- Iraqi Arab residents of the northern oil-rich city of Kirkuk, some 250km from Baghdad, say scores of Arab families are fleeing the city as ethnic violence increases there. "The attacks on our community have worsened since February 2007. We are being forced to leave the city almost empty-handed and the government isn't taking any action to support us," said Ali Akram Mahmoud, a spokesperson for Kirkuk's Arabs Association (KAA), formed in 2003 with the aim of safeguarding the rights of Arabs who had settled in the city.
"The number of [Arab] families fleeing the city has increased by 20 percent on previous years. Their flight will seriously affect the upcoming referendum in which Kurds will have a majority not because of their numbers but because, with guns in their hands, they will have forced all Arabs to flee the city. It is absolutely unfair," he said. The December 2007 Kirkuk status referendum is due to decide whether the city becomes part of the Iraqi Kurdistan region.
"The most common scene in Kirkuk is of families filling cars with their relatives and fleeing the city in the early morning," said Jihad Muhammad, a political analyst at Mustansiriyah University. Kirkuk was long considered a microcosm of Iraq with its diversity of ethnic and religious groups. However, former President Saddam Hussein's "Arabisation" policy in the early 1980s and during the 1990s forced tens of thousands of Kurds and other non-Arabs to flee. They were replaced with pro-government Arabs from the impoverished south.
Following the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003, tens of thousands of Kurds returned to Kirkuk, with their house keys, to find their homes either sold or given to Arabs. This led to attacks by Kurds on Arabs. A local Iraq Red Crescent senior official, who prefers anonymity for security reasons, said since June 2007 at least 2,000 Arab families had fled Kirkuk. "Hundreds of families are fleeing the city without their belongings." They had been forced to search for displacement camps and many had joined the nearly one million displaced families in southern governorates, whilst others were staying on roadsides or in poor areas, he said.
In a local police station IRIN witnessed dozens of families begging for help from police after being forced from their homes by Kurdish militias. They were all told the same thing - that they could not be given individual protection and that they would be best advised to find more secure accommodation in southern Iraq. The city, a multi-ethnic mix of Kurds, Arabs, Assyrians, Turkomans and Armenians, has plenty of oil, but may not have much time left to avoid being dragged into sectarian bloodshed.
"The number of [Arab] families fleeing the city has increased by 20 percent on previous years. Their flight will seriously affect the upcoming referendum in which Kurds will have a majority not because of their numbers but because, with guns in their hands, they will have forced all Arabs to flee the city. It is absolutely unfair," he said. The December 2007 Kirkuk status referendum is due to decide whether the city becomes part of the Iraqi Kurdistan region.
"The most common scene in Kirkuk is of families filling cars with their relatives and fleeing the city in the early morning," said Jihad Muhammad, a political analyst at Mustansiriyah University. Kirkuk was long considered a microcosm of Iraq with its diversity of ethnic and religious groups. However, former President Saddam Hussein's "Arabisation" policy in the early 1980s and during the 1990s forced tens of thousands of Kurds and other non-Arabs to flee. They were replaced with pro-government Arabs from the impoverished south.
Following the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003, tens of thousands of Kurds returned to Kirkuk, with their house keys, to find their homes either sold or given to Arabs. This led to attacks by Kurds on Arabs. A local Iraq Red Crescent senior official, who prefers anonymity for security reasons, said since June 2007 at least 2,000 Arab families had fled Kirkuk. "Hundreds of families are fleeing the city without their belongings." They had been forced to search for displacement camps and many had joined the nearly one million displaced families in southern governorates, whilst others were staying on roadsides or in poor areas, he said.
In a local police station IRIN witnessed dozens of families begging for help from police after being forced from their homes by Kurdish militias. They were all told the same thing - that they could not be given individual protection and that they would be best advised to find more secure accommodation in southern Iraq. The city, a multi-ethnic mix of Kurds, Arabs, Assyrians, Turkomans and Armenians, has plenty of oil, but may not have much time left to avoid being dragged into sectarian bloodshed.
Labels: Iraq Red Crescent, Kirkuk, Kirkuk's Arabs Association, sectarian violence
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Kurdistan Coalition willing to postpone Kirkuk referendum
Politics
(Voices of Iraq) - The Kurdistan Coalition has no problem with putting off the planned referendum on the situation in Kirkuk until the end of this year, the head of the coalition's parliamentary bloc Fuad Masoum said on Monday. "We have no problem with postponing the referendum on Kirkuk for two or three months or even more," Masoum told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) by phone.
An Iraqi parliamentary vote on Saturday extended the work of the Constitutional Amendments Committee until the end of 2007, delaying the referendum on Kirkuk's status that was expected by the end of 2007. Masoum, who is also a member of the committee, said that the proposed constitutional amendments do not "conflict" with the referendum on Kirkuk. "The majority of parliamentary blocs agree that article 140 should not be subject to constitutional amendments," he said. Meanwhile the head of the committee, Humam Hamoudi, said on Saturday that the parliament's decision was taken in the light of the committee's failure to resolve several controversial issues, including article 140.
Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution is related to the normalization of the situation in Kirkuk, an important and mixed city of Kurds, Turkmen, Christians and Arabs. Kurds seek to include the city in the autonomous Iraq's Kurdistan region, while Sunni Arabs, Turkmen and Shiite Arabs oppose the incorporation. The article currently stipulates that all Arabs in Kirkuk be returned to their original locations in southern and central Iraqi areas, and formerly displaced residents returned to Kirkuk, 250 km northeast of Baghdad. A referendum, provided for in the Iraqi constitution, was scheduled to be held by the end of the current year on including the city into the Kurdistan region.
An Iraqi parliamentary vote on Saturday extended the work of the Constitutional Amendments Committee until the end of 2007, delaying the referendum on Kirkuk's status that was expected by the end of 2007. Masoum, who is also a member of the committee, said that the proposed constitutional amendments do not "conflict" with the referendum on Kirkuk. "The majority of parliamentary blocs agree that article 140 should not be subject to constitutional amendments," he said. Meanwhile the head of the committee, Humam Hamoudi, said on Saturday that the parliament's decision was taken in the light of the committee's failure to resolve several controversial issues, including article 140.
Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution is related to the normalization of the situation in Kirkuk, an important and mixed city of Kurds, Turkmen, Christians and Arabs. Kurds seek to include the city in the autonomous Iraq's Kurdistan region, while Sunni Arabs, Turkmen and Shiite Arabs oppose the incorporation. The article currently stipulates that all Arabs in Kirkuk be returned to their original locations in southern and central Iraqi areas, and formerly displaced residents returned to Kirkuk, 250 km northeast of Baghdad. A referendum, provided for in the Iraqi constitution, was scheduled to be held by the end of the current year on including the city into the Kurdistan region.
Labels: Article 140, Fuad Masoum, Humam Hamoudi, Kirkuk, Kirkuk referendum, Kurdistan Coalition
Lowering of Iraqi flag in Kirkuk further strains Kurd, Arab and Turkoman relations
Security, Politics
(DPA) -- The lowering of the Iraqi flag at the municipal building in the Iraqi city of Kirkuk about two weeks ago stirred tensions between Kurds on the one hand and Arabs and Turkuman on the other. While Arabs and Turkuman insisted on flying the flag, even over houses and stores in Kirkuk, 250 kilometres from the Iraqi capital Baghdad, Kurds have called for it to be lowered at all public buildings in the city.
Leader of the Arab Obeid Tribe and Chairman of the Arab Consultative Council (ACC) in Kirkuk, Sheikh Abdul-Rahman Munshid al- Assy said that lowering the Iraqi flag from some public premises or not raising it at some parts of these buildings posed a risk to Kirkuk's national identity. "The flag is the base for national unity and co-existence among the different sects and religions," al-Assy said.
Turkuman Parliament Member for the Iraqi National Accord Front Fawzy Akram predicted serious consequences of what he described as "an illegal act," that was likely to "jeopardize the security situation in Kirkuk." For its part, the secular Turkuman National Party in Kirkuk issued a statement requesting an explanation, calling for the Iraqi flag to be flown over the municipality building, which symbolized the central authority.
"I would like to ask Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki whether lifting the flag is part of the four-way agreement," Akram wondered. The agreement was signed among the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), the Islamic Daawa party and the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC) on August 16 to revive the political process in Iraq.
Meanwhile, Kirkuk Governor Abdul-Rahman Mostafa confirmed that the local administration did not attempt to remove the flag. The municipality had replaced it with a new one as the old one wore out due to the environmental factors. Mostafa further criticized the media for raising the issue in a way that "offended" the local administration in Kirkuk.
Oil-rich Kirkuk is the centre of northern Iraq's oil industry. It is an ethnically mixed city of Kurds, Arabs, Turkuman and Christians. To ensure Arab control of Kirkuk's oil fields, successive governments in Baghdad have implemented a policy of deliberate Arabization of the city. The forced population movements and ethnic registration changes continued under former executed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, making it likely that there was no longer an official Kurdish majority in the city.
After the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, Kurds sought to return to their original city, which caused disputes among the three sects. Kurdish parties have been pushing to make Kirkuk part of the autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq. On February 5, the governmental Committee for the Normalization of Kirkuk decided to relocate Arabs to their places of origin in central and southern Iraq during the Saddam era and pay them compensation in return. Arabs in Kirkuk protested that decision considering it "a form of forced migration." A referendum on incorporating Kirkuk in the Kurdish autonomous region is scheduled for the end of 2007.
Leader of the Arab Obeid Tribe and Chairman of the Arab Consultative Council (ACC) in Kirkuk, Sheikh Abdul-Rahman Munshid al- Assy said that lowering the Iraqi flag from some public premises or not raising it at some parts of these buildings posed a risk to Kirkuk's national identity. "The flag is the base for national unity and co-existence among the different sects and religions," al-Assy said.
Turkuman Parliament Member for the Iraqi National Accord Front Fawzy Akram predicted serious consequences of what he described as "an illegal act," that was likely to "jeopardize the security situation in Kirkuk." For its part, the secular Turkuman National Party in Kirkuk issued a statement requesting an explanation, calling for the Iraqi flag to be flown over the municipality building, which symbolized the central authority.
"I would like to ask Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki whether lifting the flag is part of the four-way agreement," Akram wondered. The agreement was signed among the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), the Islamic Daawa party and the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC) on August 16 to revive the political process in Iraq.
Meanwhile, Kirkuk Governor Abdul-Rahman Mostafa confirmed that the local administration did not attempt to remove the flag. The municipality had replaced it with a new one as the old one wore out due to the environmental factors. Mostafa further criticized the media for raising the issue in a way that "offended" the local administration in Kirkuk.
Oil-rich Kirkuk is the centre of northern Iraq's oil industry. It is an ethnically mixed city of Kurds, Arabs, Turkuman and Christians. To ensure Arab control of Kirkuk's oil fields, successive governments in Baghdad have implemented a policy of deliberate Arabization of the city. The forced population movements and ethnic registration changes continued under former executed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, making it likely that there was no longer an official Kurdish majority in the city.
After the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, Kurds sought to return to their original city, which caused disputes among the three sects. Kurdish parties have been pushing to make Kirkuk part of the autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq. On February 5, the governmental Committee for the Normalization of Kirkuk decided to relocate Arabs to their places of origin in central and southern Iraq during the Saddam era and pay them compensation in return. Arabs in Kirkuk protested that decision considering it "a form of forced migration." A referendum on incorporating Kirkuk in the Kurdish autonomous region is scheduled for the end of 2007.
Labels: Abdul-Rahman Mostafa, Arab Consultative Council, Fawzy Akram, Iraqi flag, Kirkuk, National Accord Front, Obeid Tribe, Sheikh Abdul-Rahman Munshid al- Assy, Turkuman National Party
Monday, September 10, 2007
Iraqi minister signs $6 mn. worth of compensation cheques for Arabs in Kirkuk
Government
(Voices of Iraq) - An Iraqi minister said she signed hundreds of checks at a total value of 6 million dollars on Sunday as compensations for the Arabs returning from Kirkuk to their original areas. "The Iraqi government allocated 200 million dollars as compensations for Arabs in Kirkuk who wish to return to their original provinces," said Nermin Othman, the minister of environment and the official in charge of financial affairs in the high committee on the application of article 140 of the constitution, during a press conference held in Arbil on Sunday.
Othman did not set a number of Arabs to receive the compensations, noting her committee forwarded a budget for the year 2008. "We offered the budget for the year 2008 because we believe that disbursing those compensations would not end this year," she said.
Art. 140 of the Iraqi constitution provides for normalizing conditions in the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, 250 km north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, over three stages, starting with having the displaced Iraqis residing there returned to their original areas and compensated and ending with a referendum by the end of 2007 on whether Kirkuk should be annexed to the autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan region.
Article 140 of Iraq’s constitution states that in Kirkuk there must be a normalization (return of expelled and deported citizens), a census and then a referendum to be carried out no later than the end of 2007. Eligible citizens will vote in the referendum to decide whether they wish Kirkuk to be part of the Kurdistan Region, or to be a separate province outside it.
Implementation of article 140 of the Iraqi constitution is pertinent to the overall security situation of Iraq. Approved by the Shiite and Kurds, Article 140 calls for reversing the "Arabization" policy implemented under former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
Othman said each Arab family wishing to return to its original province would get 20 million Iraqi dinars (roughly US$ 16,000) with a plot of land in the city to which it would go and will have the right to sell their property in Kirkuk and other disputed areas. "Moreover, the displaced Kurds wishing to return to Kirkuk would have 10 million Iraqi dinars (roughly US$ 8,000) per each family," she said.
The Iraqi officials said she does not have an accurate number of the Arabs residing in Kirkuk and willing to return to their original provinces. "The number is growing day by day. There are some who register for returning to their original provinces while other Arabs do not wish to return," she noted.
Othman did not set a number of Arabs to receive the compensations, noting her committee forwarded a budget for the year 2008. "We offered the budget for the year 2008 because we believe that disbursing those compensations would not end this year," she said.
Art. 140 of the Iraqi constitution provides for normalizing conditions in the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, 250 km north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, over three stages, starting with having the displaced Iraqis residing there returned to their original areas and compensated and ending with a referendum by the end of 2007 on whether Kirkuk should be annexed to the autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan region.
Article 140 of Iraq’s constitution states that in Kirkuk there must be a normalization (return of expelled and deported citizens), a census and then a referendum to be carried out no later than the end of 2007. Eligible citizens will vote in the referendum to decide whether they wish Kirkuk to be part of the Kurdistan Region, or to be a separate province outside it.
Implementation of article 140 of the Iraqi constitution is pertinent to the overall security situation of Iraq. Approved by the Shiite and Kurds, Article 140 calls for reversing the "Arabization" policy implemented under former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
Othman said each Arab family wishing to return to its original province would get 20 million Iraqi dinars (roughly US$ 16,000) with a plot of land in the city to which it would go and will have the right to sell their property in Kirkuk and other disputed areas. "Moreover, the displaced Kurds wishing to return to Kirkuk would have 10 million Iraqi dinars (roughly US$ 8,000) per each family," she said.
The Iraqi officials said she does not have an accurate number of the Arabs residing in Kirkuk and willing to return to their original provinces. "The number is growing day by day. There are some who register for returning to their original provinces while other Arabs do not wish to return," she noted.
Labels: Article 140, compensation, Kirkuk, Nermin Othman
Friday, September 07, 2007
Tribes sabotage Kirkuk pipelines
Oil, Tribal
(IWPR) - Despite the presence of special oil ministry units, pipelines around Kirkuk are destroyed and hundreds of tons of oil stolen every day by tribe members from surrounding villages, such as al-Milih, Wadi Zghetun, al-Muradiyya, al-Saduniyya, al-Kanaina and al-Safra. The "oil protection units" were deployed to guard the pipelines after the government cancelled previous failed agreements with tribal forces to protect them. But in spite of this, oil is stolen from pipelines stretching from the al-Riyadh sub-district, 55 km west of Kirkuk, to the al-Fatha area 90 km to the west.
Tribal sheikhs who profit from the stolen oil are likely to obstruct new measures planned by local authorities, including a special protection force, to stop the sabotage of the pipelines. Locals employed to protect the pipes are often from the same groups as those who are stealing the oil. In the first few years after the fall of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein's government, Sunni insurgents - many of whom as former soldiers had guarded oil routes under the old regime - blew up the pipelines to wreak havoc.
Since then, insurgents have realized that stealing oil is also damaging, and is far more profitable than pure destruction. Today, Kirkuk's oil wealth is evaporating. Qais al-Mifraji, a 34-year-old farmer in the village of al-Safra, 63 km west of Kirkuk, describes how the pipelines are destroyed. "The insurgents usually come at night and plant a bomb to detonate the export pipeline," he said. "But if they want to steal, they just break it and fill their tankers. No one can stop them."
The riddled pipes partially explain why four years after the US invasion, Iraq has not been able to match its pre-war crude production level of 2.5 million barrels a day. In 2006, production averaged 2.1 million barrels per day, mostly from oil fields near Basra in the south, which have not suffered the non-stop sabotage taking place in the north. Kirkuk now produces just 180,000 barrels a day. It could produce at least 400,000 more a day which, at current market prices, would net Iraq seven billion US dollars in revenue per year.
Over the second half of last year, one stretch of pipeline connecting Kirkuk with the Turkish Mediterranean port of Ceyhan - the main outlet for Iraq's northern oil exports - pumped oil for only 43 days. The rest of the time, the pipeline lay idle, leaking crude through dozens of holes drilled along its 320-km run through the Iraqi desert. Another pipeline has been tapped into 39 times so far this year, according to the state-owned Northern Oil Company, NOC, which operates the Kirkuk field.
Qadir Omer Rahman, director of the oil products distribution department in Kirkuk, said that the 80km-long pipeline from Kirkuk to the refinery in Bayji suffered many attacks."Those who protect and guard the oil pipelines are recruited from the people of the villages through which the pipelines pass," he said. "They are the ones committing these acts of terror and smuggling, with the help of other groups." Unemployment and poor living conditions spurred Ayad Hamid al-Ubaidi from Hawdh village, who is in his thirties, to join the gangs who target pipelines and steal oil. "There is no one who can give us our rights," he said. "We have to use our own hands to obtain our rights."
Rahman estimated that three million liters of oil are lost every month because of sabotage, which he said severely affects the provision of petroleum products to Kirkuk and the Kurdistan region's three northern governorates. Each stage of oil production in the north is hampered by criminal activity. It is not only the oil and its products which are stolen by outsiders. Pumps, transformers, generators and other valuable machinery and spare parts are frequently looted.
Oil company workers are coming increasingly under fire from militias. Pipeline repair crews have been shot at and hit by roadside bombs. Sunni insurgents have been dropping leaflets in Kirkuk warning all government employees, including oil company workers, to quit or to face death. Last summer, Adi al-Qazaz, then NOC's director-general, went to Baghdad to visit the oil ministry. After his meeting, he was kidnapped by gunmen on the street, never to be seen again. While some NOC employees are threatened, others are suspected of cooperating in stealing both crude and refined oil.
Truck drivers, as well as managers of fuel stations, are taking their share of the illegal business, draining supplies for Iraqi citizens who struggle to find cooking oil and fuel. A source in the NOC, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that there is a mafia-like group operating inside the company which smuggles large amounts of oil through pipelines, in cooperation with individuals inside the company. "When an explosion occurs in a pipeline and oil leaks from it, the people in charge neglect it, leaving the leak for several days until a large amount of oil has been taken from it," he said.
Much of the smuggled crude oil is sold to merchants in Erbil through local brokers. They meet to do their deals in a restaurant in the sub-district of al-Gwer, 40 km west of Erbil, according to Ahmed al-Jobouri, an oil tanker driver. At small domestic refineries, the crude is transformed into refined fuel and then sold on the black market. Some will then be smuggled across the border. According to the NOC source, "the revenue from oil smuggled into Turkey is used to support the Turkoman Front in Iraq, and revenue from oil smuggled to Syria is used to support the insurgent groups in Iraq".
Fuel is heavily subsidized in Iraq. Petrol stations receive limited supplies and citizens are given vouchers entitling them to buy a certain amount each week at the official low price. But because there is not enough subsidized fuel, most Iraqis end up buying oil products on the black market. A source in the Bayji refinery near Kirkuk, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told IWPR reporters that some officials from the General Company for Oil Products, which is in charge of issuing paperwork for the subsidies, sells authentic as well as false receipts to merchants.The stolen fuel is then smuggled and sold on the black market, either inside Iraq or across the border in Syria or Turkey.
There is also small-scale smuggling. Salah Ali, who has been working as a tanker driver for six months, said receipts are issued at the Bayji refinery for 36,000 liters per tanker, which is their official load. But they are then filled to their full capacity of 40,000 litres, and the additional 4,000 liters are sold on the black market for five times the price of regular fuel. Similar activities go on at the smaller refinery in Kirkuk, said Irfan Kirkukli, the deputy chief of security on the city council. "Several trucks carrying oil products smuggled from Kirkuk have been seized," he said. "Vehicles have been caught smuggling 160 canisters of cooking gas from Kirkuk to Erbil, for example."
Some petrol station owners, he said, sell their share of state-subsidized fuel to black market dealers. "Many such cases have occurred in Kirkuk and legal action was taken against [the culprits]," he said. "The filling stations weren't given [further] allotments and their owners were fined. "To protect the pipelines and prevent illegal smuggling of fuel, several measures are to be implemented. Kirkukli said a special protection force to guard the pipelines will be formed, consisting of members of the Iraqi army, oil protection forces and the tribes from the areas where the pipelines pass through.Officials in charge of particular pipeline sectors will have to pay fines if their stretches are damaged or oil is stolen. Kirkukli also said that funds have been allocated to support oil infrastructure and to build observation towers along the pipelines in western and southern Kirkuk.
Sami Amin Othman, the Kurdish chief of the oil protection force in Kirkuk, has recently hired 290 new security guards whom he plans to deploy along the pipelines. This, however, has already created unrest among the local Sunni Arab chiefs in the area. They seem to be afraid of losing power because the new guards will be paid directly by the government and not contracted through them. Because the people hired to protect the pipelines are often from the same groups that sabotage the pipes, and tribal bonds are often stronger than national loyalty, the illegal drilling is expected to continue. Sheikh Ziyad Hasan, who formerly served as a contractor protecting the pipelines, confirms that people from the area sabotage the pipelines and profit from the oil. Many locals, he said, lack the motivation to prevent thefts. "They believe that this oil serves the Americans and the new government, and that it does not benefit the people," he said.
Labels: Erbil, insurgents, Kirkuk, Northern Oil Company, oil, oil pipelines, sabotage, Sami Amin Othman, tribal leaders, tribes, Turkoman Front
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Iraq resumes pumping of oil from Kirkuk to Ceyhan
Region
(AP) -- Iraq's oil minister said Tuesday that crude oil began to flow from his country's northern oil-rich Kirkuk to a Turkish export terminal last week - for the first time since Saddam Hussein was toppled in 2003. "We're pumping between 300,000 to 400,000 barrels a day of Kirkuk crude to the Turkish export terminal of Ceyhan," Hussain al-Shahristani told Dow Jones Newswires in a telephone interview from Baghdad.
The pipeline - Iraq's main export route from Kirkuk to the Turkish Mediterranean port of Ceyhan - has been mostly closed because of constant sabotage since the U.S.-led war. Two weeks ago, Iraq agreed with Syria to repair and subsequently reopen another key pipeline, a 550-mile-long link connecting Kirkuk and the Syrian port of Baniyas. Once the Baniyas line - built in the 1950s but bombed by U.S. forces during the invasion that ousted Saddam - is reopened, Iraq would be using two terminals on the Mediterranean Sea. Currently, Iraq exports nearly all its oil through the Persian Gulf.
Al-Shahristani told Dow Jones that Iraq's current production capacity from its northern oil fields stands at 700,000 barrels a day, of which about 300,000 barrels a day are destined for a refinery in the nearby northern industrial city of Beiji for domestic use. The remainder is for export.
Last week, Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organization announced a tender to sell 5 million barrels of Kirkuk crude through Turkey's Ceyhan port - the third tender of its kind this year. "As far as I know, we have over 5 million (barrels) of crude stocks in Ceyhan," al-Shahristani said.
He said he expected Iraq to maintain the same level of exports from its northern fields, citing new measures to prevent sabotage of pipelines. He said the measures include dispatching a security force, made up of tribesmen from the area and affiliated with his ministry, to guard the pipelines.
The pipeline - Iraq's main export route from Kirkuk to the Turkish Mediterranean port of Ceyhan - has been mostly closed because of constant sabotage since the U.S.-led war. Two weeks ago, Iraq agreed with Syria to repair and subsequently reopen another key pipeline, a 550-mile-long link connecting Kirkuk and the Syrian port of Baniyas. Once the Baniyas line - built in the 1950s but bombed by U.S. forces during the invasion that ousted Saddam - is reopened, Iraq would be using two terminals on the Mediterranean Sea. Currently, Iraq exports nearly all its oil through the Persian Gulf.
Al-Shahristani told Dow Jones that Iraq's current production capacity from its northern oil fields stands at 700,000 barrels a day, of which about 300,000 barrels a day are destined for a refinery in the nearby northern industrial city of Beiji for domestic use. The remainder is for export.
Last week, Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organization announced a tender to sell 5 million barrels of Kirkuk crude through Turkey's Ceyhan port - the third tender of its kind this year. "As far as I know, we have over 5 million (barrels) of crude stocks in Ceyhan," al-Shahristani said.
He said he expected Iraq to maintain the same level of exports from its northern fields, citing new measures to prevent sabotage of pipelines. He said the measures include dispatching a security force, made up of tribesmen from the area and affiliated with his ministry, to guard the pipelines.
Labels: Baniyas line, Ceyhan, Hussain al-Shahristani, Iraq, Kirkuk, oil, SOMO, Turkey
Monday, September 03, 2007
Sulaimaniya water treatement plant source of cholera outbreak
Health
(Al Jazeera) - Health officials have traced the source of a cholera outbreak in a northern province of Iraq to a water treatment plant, a regional health minister has said. Zairyan Othman, health minister for Iraq's Kurdistan region, said on Thursday that samples from the plant in Sulaimaniya had tested positive for the bacterium that causes the disease.
"This is the main reason for cholera spreading so quickly in Sulaimaniya," he said, adding that the number of cases could rise unless the bacterium at the plant is contained. Othman said at least eight people have died from cholera in Kirkuk and Sulaimaniya, two predominantly Kurdish provinces. Dozens more people are being treated in hospital after contracting the disease.
Cholera is a gastrointestinal disease that is spread by drinking contaminated water. Severe cases can cause fatal dehydration. Othman said the Sulaimaniya plant was to be closed for 24 hours to clean its filters, but also said well-water that had not been properly chlorinated had contributed to the cholera outbreak.
Othman visited Kirkuk's Azadi hospital on Wednesday with representatives from Iraq's central health ministry and said there were scores of confirmed cases. "There are 47 cholera cases in Kirkuk and 35 in Sulaimaniya," Othman said during a visit to Kirkuk's Azadi hospital on Wednesday. Dr Burhan Omar, a physician at Azidi hospital, told Al Jazeera on Wednesday that several patients had definite cases of cholera.
"This is the main reason for cholera spreading so quickly in Sulaimaniya," he said, adding that the number of cases could rise unless the bacterium at the plant is contained. Othman said at least eight people have died from cholera in Kirkuk and Sulaimaniya, two predominantly Kurdish provinces. Dozens more people are being treated in hospital after contracting the disease.
Cholera is a gastrointestinal disease that is spread by drinking contaminated water. Severe cases can cause fatal dehydration. Othman said the Sulaimaniya plant was to be closed for 24 hours to clean its filters, but also said well-water that had not been properly chlorinated had contributed to the cholera outbreak.
Othman visited Kirkuk's Azadi hospital on Wednesday with representatives from Iraq's central health ministry and said there were scores of confirmed cases. "There are 47 cholera cases in Kirkuk and 35 in Sulaimaniya," Othman said during a visit to Kirkuk's Azadi hospital on Wednesday. Dr Burhan Omar, a physician at Azidi hospital, told Al Jazeera on Wednesday that several patients had definite cases of cholera.
During his visit to the hospital, Othman said 2,250 people were suffering from diarrhoea in Sulaimaniya and 2,000 in Kirkuk. He said he was ready to provide help to hospitals in Kirkuk that are not part of the three semi-autonomous Kurdish provinces in northern Iraq, as they try to treat cases of the disease. He said that large outbreaks of cholera could affect the capital Baghdad and the central province
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said in a statement released on Wednesday that it had established a programme for monitoring cholera in Iraq. "To date, it is estimated that Sulaimaniya governorate experienced close to 5,000 cases since 10 August, with 10 deaths reported and 51 confirmed cases in Kirkuk," the statement said. The statement said that WHO will establish a surveillance system for water quality control, food inspection and case findings and management. It added that the UN Children's Fund will lead a programme of oral re-hydration therapy for those affected.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said in a statement released on Wednesday that it had established a programme for monitoring cholera in Iraq. "To date, it is estimated that Sulaimaniya governorate experienced close to 5,000 cases since 10 August, with 10 deaths reported and 51 confirmed cases in Kirkuk," the statement said. The statement said that WHO will establish a surveillance system for water quality control, food inspection and case findings and management. It added that the UN Children's Fund will lead a programme of oral re-hydration therapy for those affected.
Labels: cholera, Kirkuk, Kurdistan, Sulaimaniya, WHO, Zairyan Othman
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Barzani calls for implementation of Article 140
Politics
(Kurdish Globe) - Heightened anxiety among Iraqi groups and neighboring countries is due to fear that the execution of Article 140 will empower the Kurdistan government and inch it closer to declaring independence. Kurdish political leaders have once again insisted upon the implementation of Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution as a condition for remaining in the Nouri al-Maliki's government.
According to Qadir Aziz, the representative of Massoud Barzani, President of Kurdistan Iraqi Region, in the four-sided agreement between the Kurds and the Shiite, the primary condition for the Kurds to remain in the al-Maliki government is the normalization of the situation in Kirkuk and the surrounding areas.
The city of Kirkuk and the surrounding areas are rich with oil and comprise a mixed ethnicity of Kurds, Arabs, Turkmens, and Chaldeo-Assyrians; the situation of these regions can be rectified by Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution. In this constitutional article, it mentions that it's necessary to apply three stages for the normalization of the situation in Kirkuk and the surrounding areas. And toward the end of 2007, the people should have the right to vote in a referendum on the decision whether to remain with Baghdad or be annexed to Kurdistan Region.
After the withdrawal of the ministers who were members of the Sunni Accordance Front from the al-Maliki government, the security climate in the country worsened. Consequently, a number of factions signed an agreement for the purpose of resolving this chaos. This agreement comprises 27 points, and is between the Kurdistan Democratic Party, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, Dawa Party, and the Islamic Revolutionary Council in Iraq.
According to Qadir Aziz, the representative of Massoud Barzani, President of Kurdistan Iraqi Region, in the four-sided agreement between the Kurds and the Shiite, the primary condition for the Kurds to remain in the al-Maliki government is the normalization of the situation in Kirkuk and the surrounding areas.
The city of Kirkuk and the surrounding areas are rich with oil and comprise a mixed ethnicity of Kurds, Arabs, Turkmens, and Chaldeo-Assyrians; the situation of these regions can be rectified by Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution. In this constitutional article, it mentions that it's necessary to apply three stages for the normalization of the situation in Kirkuk and the surrounding areas. And toward the end of 2007, the people should have the right to vote in a referendum on the decision whether to remain with Baghdad or be annexed to Kurdistan Region.
After the withdrawal of the ministers who were members of the Sunni Accordance Front from the al-Maliki government, the security climate in the country worsened. Consequently, a number of factions signed an agreement for the purpose of resolving this chaos. This agreement comprises 27 points, and is between the Kurdistan Democratic Party, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, Dawa Party, and the Islamic Revolutionary Council in Iraq.
COMMENT: This puts Maliki in a tricky position, particularly now, when he can ill afford to lose the little backing he has which would likely lead to the toppling of his government. However, Barzani has insisted on the implmentation of Article 140 on several occasions. COMMENT ENDS.
Labels: Article 140, Kirkuk, Massoud Barzani, Qadir Aziz
Seperate attacks in Kirkuk kill four
Security
(Voices of Iraq) - At least four people were killed and ten more wounded in separate attacks in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk on Wednesday, police sources said. "A car bomb detonated, today at 7:00 pm, in Domiz area, southwestern Kirkuk, killing three civilians and wounding seven more," the source, who spoke on anonymity condition, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
The source added "the explosion also damaged some commercial shops." Meanwhile, another police source told VOI "an explosive charge went off, today at 6:00 pm, near a police vehicle patrol in Domiz area, wounding three policemen." The wounded policemen were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, he added.
The same source added that unknown gunmen opened fire at a shop for selling alcoholics today at 4:00 pm in Domiz, killing the owner inside his shop. Kirkuk is 250 km northeast of Baghdad.
The source added "the explosion also damaged some commercial shops." Meanwhile, another police source told VOI "an explosive charge went off, today at 6:00 pm, near a police vehicle patrol in Domiz area, wounding three policemen." The wounded policemen were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, he added.
The same source added that unknown gunmen opened fire at a shop for selling alcoholics today at 4:00 pm in Domiz, killing the owner inside his shop. Kirkuk is 250 km northeast of Baghdad.
COMMENT: Violence is likely to escalate in Kirkuk between the different ethnic groups in the run-up to the referendum on whether Kirkuk should become part of Kurdistan, something the Kurds want, but most of the rest of the population in the town don't. Gunmen opening up fire on an shop selling alcohol indicates that the gunmen were likely extremists. COMMENT ENDS.
Labels: Domiz area, Kirkuk, violence
U.N. reports cholera outbreak in northern Iraq
Health
(CNN) -- More than 2,000 Iraqis in the northern part of the country have contracted cholera, U.N. officials say, citing local authorities. The outbreak of the potentially deadly disease is thought to be the result of poor water quality, the U.N. officials said. "Local authorities report that over 2,000 people have been affected so far by the outbreak, with five deaths reported and 500 patients admitted to hospital with severe diarrhea within the last two days alone," the U.N. Children's Fund, or UNICEF, said on Wednesday.
Forty-seven cases have been confirmed as epidemic cholera, but the number is expected to grow, said UNICEF, which has rushed emergency aid to the affected area. The outbreak has hit the Sulaimaniya province and the nearby Kirkuk region in northern Iraq. "Although the outbreak is largely affecting adults, children are at extremely high risk," UNICEF said.
Cholera is a bacterial ailment that affects the intestinal tract. The disease is contracted by consuming contaminated water. The outbreak is being attributed to "serious problems with water quality and sewage treatment" -- an assessment repeated by the U.N. Assistance Mission in Iraq. Only 30 percent of the population in Sulaimaniya has an adequate water supply, according to local reports, and "many people have been reduced to digging shallow wells outside their own homes," UNICEF said.
UNICEF is urging families to make sure children stay away from areas contaminated with raw sewage, wash their hands with soap and drink only water that has been purified or boiled. UNICEF is providing material such as oral rehydration salts and safe water kits. "If the epidemic spreads, there will be an urgent need for additional support," UNICEF said.
Forty-seven cases have been confirmed as epidemic cholera, but the number is expected to grow, said UNICEF, which has rushed emergency aid to the affected area. The outbreak has hit the Sulaimaniya province and the nearby Kirkuk region in northern Iraq. "Although the outbreak is largely affecting adults, children are at extremely high risk," UNICEF said.
Cholera is a bacterial ailment that affects the intestinal tract. The disease is contracted by consuming contaminated water. The outbreak is being attributed to "serious problems with water quality and sewage treatment" -- an assessment repeated by the U.N. Assistance Mission in Iraq. Only 30 percent of the population in Sulaimaniya has an adequate water supply, according to local reports, and "many people have been reduced to digging shallow wells outside their own homes," UNICEF said.
UNICEF is urging families to make sure children stay away from areas contaminated with raw sewage, wash their hands with soap and drink only water that has been purified or boiled. UNICEF is providing material such as oral rehydration salts and safe water kits. "If the epidemic spreads, there will be an urgent need for additional support," UNICEF said.
Labels: cholera, epidemic, Kirkuk, northern Iraq, Sulaimaniya province, UNAMI, UNICEF
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Dr. Torhan Al Mufti: It Is Impossible To Implement Article 140 Now
Politics
(Al Qala Newspaper) - 28 AUG - Dr. Torhan Al Mufti, a member of the Kirkuk Governate Council, said that the application of Article 140 of the Constitution cannot be implemented at this time because the government is weak and cannot run the country. He said, “We are not against the original displaced inhabitants of Kirkuk. We call for the [Kirkuk] referendum to be cancelled because the outcome has been [wrongly] determined already. The Turkmen entity members of the Kirkuk Governorate Council have been boycotting the council for ten months.”
In regard to why they have been boycotting the council, Al Mufti said, “The reason behind this boycott is because the Turkmen have not been given a primary role in running Kirkuk and we have been negotiating with the Kurds for four months and we have still not reached any agreement. Recently, the US Councilor in Kirkuk has been heavily involved in the negotiations with the Kurds and he has called on us to end our boycott in exchange for important positions for the Arabs and us. But after the meeting between the Turkmen Front and other Turkmen parties, we have decided to demand we be given the Governor position and to have 32% of the administrative positions in Kirkuk.”
Regarding his opinion of increasing the UN’s role in Iraq, Al Mufti said, “We welcome this development because, frankly, the Iraqi issue needs global involvement in order to reach fair and reasonable solutions. This is particularly true regarding the Kirkuk issue which requires the UN to have a role.” Al Mufti added, “We are waiting for a final answer regarding our demands in Kirkuk and if the answer is negative then we will continue our boycott and we will not be a part of losing our citizens’ rights in Kirkuk.”
In regard to why they have been boycotting the council, Al Mufti said, “The reason behind this boycott is because the Turkmen have not been given a primary role in running Kirkuk and we have been negotiating with the Kurds for four months and we have still not reached any agreement. Recently, the US Councilor in Kirkuk has been heavily involved in the negotiations with the Kurds and he has called on us to end our boycott in exchange for important positions for the Arabs and us. But after the meeting between the Turkmen Front and other Turkmen parties, we have decided to demand we be given the Governor position and to have 32% of the administrative positions in Kirkuk.”
Regarding his opinion of increasing the UN’s role in Iraq, Al Mufti said, “We welcome this development because, frankly, the Iraqi issue needs global involvement in order to reach fair and reasonable solutions. This is particularly true regarding the Kirkuk issue which requires the UN to have a role.” Al Mufti added, “We are waiting for a final answer regarding our demands in Kirkuk and if the answer is negative then we will continue our boycott and we will not be a part of losing our citizens’ rights in Kirkuk.”
Labels: Article 140, Dr. Torhan Al Mufti, Kirkuk, Kirkuk Governate Council, Kurds, Turkmen, U.N.
Iraqi Turkmen Front Calls For Early Election And A Safe Zone For Turkmen
Security, Politics
(Al Qala Newspaper) - 28 AUG - The Iraqi Turkmen Front has rejected the new four party alliance that was recently announced in order to overcome the crisis facing the Iraqi government. The Turkmen Front considers this alliance as being based on sectarianism and discrimination which may lead to the collapse of the political process.
Iraqi Turkmen Front Executive Officer and President of the Turkmen National Party, Jamal Shan, said in a press conference, “Our options to solve this issue is to return to page one, to establish a new parliament, and a strong central government that consists of all sects, religions, and ethnicities. The option is to conduct an early election because the Iraqi people were not politically mature enough during the last election. Now, the Iraqi people realize the facts because of the dangerous developments facing the country.”
He added, “The parties of this alliance are the same ones that have run the country since it was occupied and based upon the political parliamentary majority. The economic, security, administrative, and political crises are worsening day by day and these parties do not care about the suffering of the Iraqi people. The Kurdish parties are using the Kirkuk issue as a bargaining chip with all of the other parties in order to achieve their ambitions against the rights of the Turkmen. The Iraqi Turkmen Front considers Kirkuk a Turkmen city and the center for the Turkmen “Elee” region which begins from Tall Afar in the north to Mandili in the south. The Front will not compromise Kirkuk as a Turkmen city! This is the primary reason for the strategic political dispute between the Front and the other parties.”
He revealed, “There is a national political project to support the Turkmen that includes the establishment of a safe zone in the Turkmen Elee area in order to protect the third ethnicity from dangers, which will be under the supervision of the UN and international forces. This safe zone will last until security and stability are achieved in Iraq.”
He added, “The parties of this alliance are the same ones that have run the country since it was occupied and based upon the political parliamentary majority. The economic, security, administrative, and political crises are worsening day by day and these parties do not care about the suffering of the Iraqi people. The Kurdish parties are using the Kirkuk issue as a bargaining chip with all of the other parties in order to achieve their ambitions against the rights of the Turkmen. The Iraqi Turkmen Front considers Kirkuk a Turkmen city and the center for the Turkmen “Elee” region which begins from Tall Afar in the north to Mandili in the south. The Front will not compromise Kirkuk as a Turkmen city! This is the primary reason for the strategic political dispute between the Front and the other parties.”
He revealed, “There is a national political project to support the Turkmen that includes the establishment of a safe zone in the Turkmen Elee area in order to protect the third ethnicity from dangers, which will be under the supervision of the UN and international forces. This safe zone will last until security and stability are achieved in Iraq.”
Labels: Elee area, Iraqi Turkmen Front, Jamal Shan, Kirkuk, safe zone, U.N.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Syria, Iraq agree to rehabilitate oil pipelines
Region
(SANA) - Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Sufian al-Alaw on Tuesday said Syria and Iraq agreed to take necessary procedures to rehabilitate a crude petroleum transport pipelines between Iraqi city of Kirkuk and Syrian coastal city of Banyas. "The two states agreed to develop the exchange of oil products to a maximum degree in the interest of both countries," Alaw said during a visit to a Gas station south Damascus along with Iraqi counterpart Hussein Shahrstani.
The Iraqi Minister expressed his country's readiness to cooperate with Syria and develop available capabilities in the interest to both peoples, pointing out to new opportunities and horizons of cooperation in the oil and gas fields. The two ministers listened to an explanation to the Arab Gas Pipelines project which stretches from north Egypt to the Syrian-Turkish borders through Jordan with 1231 KM length.
The Iraqi Minister expressed his country's readiness to cooperate with Syria and develop available capabilities in the interest to both peoples, pointing out to new opportunities and horizons of cooperation in the oil and gas fields. The two ministers listened to an explanation to the Arab Gas Pipelines project which stretches from north Egypt to the Syrian-Turkish borders through Jordan with 1231 KM length.
Labels: Arab Gas Pipelines project, Banyas, Iraq, Kirkuk, oil pipelines, Sufian al-Alaw, Syria
Friday, August 17, 2007
Al Rubaie Gives Jordanians Option Of Kirkuk’s Or Basrah’s Oil
Regional
(Al Mowaten Newspaper) - 16 AUG - Yesterday, National Security Advisor, Dr. Muwaffaq Al Rubaie, held a press conference in Amman to explain the results of his visit to Jordan. At the beginning of the conference, Al Rubaie confirmed that his visit was serious and frank. He added that he discussed the reasons behind the violence and said, “The violence in Iraq is because regional interests [conflicts] are being dealt with in Iraq. There is no sectarian war in Iraq but it is a war between extremists of all sects. Both countries have agreed that they are in one boat to fight Al Qaida, extremists and sectarianism. The threats to Iraq’s national security are threats to Jordan’s national security as well. Jordan supports Iraq’s political process and [Al Maliki’s] government.”
Regarding Iraq’s delay in implementing the agreement that was approved during the Jordanian PM’s visit to Iraq a year ago concerning providing Jordan with 50,000 barrels of oil a day at special prices, Al Rubaie said, “The security situation is the reason for delaying this agreement and the oil pipe line to Jordan has been sabotaged. We have presented two options to the Jordanians. These are to receive oil from either Basrah’s or Kirkuk’s oil fields. Basrah’s oil contains ingredients that are not compatible with Jordan’s refineries. We have been promised by the Jordanians that they will respond to us after studying the two options.” Al Rubaie concluded his statement saying, “The brothers in Jordan offered to support us and have promised that they will offer as much as they can to the Iraqis who are living in Jordan.”
Regarding Iraq’s delay in implementing the agreement that was approved during the Jordanian PM’s visit to Iraq a year ago concerning providing Jordan with 50,000 barrels of oil a day at special prices, Al Rubaie said, “The security situation is the reason for delaying this agreement and the oil pipe line to Jordan has been sabotaged. We have presented two options to the Jordanians. These are to receive oil from either Basrah’s or Kirkuk’s oil fields. Basrah’s oil contains ingredients that are not compatible with Jordan’s refineries. We have been promised by the Jordanians that they will respond to us after studying the two options.” Al Rubaie concluded his statement saying, “The brothers in Jordan offered to support us and have promised that they will offer as much as they can to the Iraqis who are living in Jordan.”
Labels: Basrah, Jordan, Kirkuk, Muwaffaq al-Rubay'i, oil, oilfields
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Tribal chiefs assassinated
Security, Tribal
(Al-Sharqiyah) - Unidentified gunmen killed a chieftain from the Al-Jubur tribe in Kirkuk on August 13, Al-Sharqiyah television reported. Sheikh Muhsin Abdallah Hasan al-Sabil al-Juburi was killed in the attack, while his daughter and brother were injured. Al-Juburi was reportedly killed because of his close ties to the U.S. military.
Meanwhile, a chieftain from the Al-Dulaym tribe was killed outside his home in Al-Fallujah on August 13. Security sources told Al-Sharqiyah that Sheikh Fawwaz Saddah Sarih, chieftain of the Albu Khalifah tribe, was attacked and killed by masked gunmen. Tribal leaders from the Al-Ghazalat tribe in Al-Najaf announced that they have formed an armed force to fight Al-Qaeda in the Al-Nukhayb district of Al-Najaf, after four tribesmen were abducted there in recent days, "Al-Zaman" reported on August 13.
Labels: Al-Dulaym tribe, Al-Ghazalat tribe, Al-Jubur tribe, Albu Khalifah tribe, Fallujah, Kirkuk, Najaf, Sheikh Fawwaz Saddah Sarih, Sheikh Muhsin Abdallah Hasan al-Sabil al-Juburi
Friday, August 10, 2007
Car bomb in Kurdish area of Kirkuk
Security
(AP) — A car bomb struck a market in a Kurdish area in the northern city of Kirkuk on Friday, killing at least eight people and wounding dozens, police said. South of Baghdad, the military said a U.S. helicopter was forced down, leaving two soldiers injured. The attack in Kirkuk, a disputed oil-rich city that has seen a recent rise in ethnic tensions, occurred while the capital remained relatively calm under a driving ban aimed at preventing such attacks during a major Shiite pilgrimage.
The blast tore through the stalls as the market was packed with afternoon shoppers buying vegetables and household goods in a predominantly Kurdish area in southern Kirkuk, 180 miles north of Baghdad. Police initially said it was a suicide attack, but police Brig. Gen. Sarhad Qader later said it was a parked car bomb. Qader said at least eight people were killed and 45 were wounded.
Tensions have increased in Kirkuk as Kurds seek to incorporate the oil-rich city into their autonomous zone in northern Iraq — a move opposed by Arabs and Turkomen in the area. The area also has seen an increase in violence by militants believed to have fled the operations in the Baghdad area.
The blast tore through the stalls as the market was packed with afternoon shoppers buying vegetables and household goods in a predominantly Kurdish area in southern Kirkuk, 180 miles north of Baghdad. Police initially said it was a suicide attack, but police Brig. Gen. Sarhad Qader later said it was a parked car bomb. Qader said at least eight people were killed and 45 were wounded.
Tensions have increased in Kirkuk as Kurds seek to incorporate the oil-rich city into their autonomous zone in northern Iraq — a move opposed by Arabs and Turkomen in the area. The area also has seen an increase in violence by militants believed to have fled the operations in the Baghdad area.
Gunmen blow up bridge north of Tikrit
Security
(Voices of Iraq) - Unknown gunmen blew up a bridge linking Salah al-Din and Kirkuk provinces on Thursday morning, a police source said. "Unknown gunmen planted and blew up large amounts of explosives under the Pitrokimiwiat concrete bridge near Makhoul mount, 50 km north of Tikrit, bringing down a large part of the bridge," the source told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI). The source added, "the 35 km-long bridge linked Salah al-Din province with Kirkuk." It was built over the Lower Zab River, a tributary of the Tigris. Tikrit, capital city of Salah al-Din, is 175 km north of Baghdad.
Labels: bridge, Kirkuk, Makhoul mount, Pitrokimiwiat bridge, Tikrit
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Total and Chevron to work together in Iraq
Oil
(Times online) - Two of the world’s biggest oil companies have signed an agreement to work together on projects in Iraq in the first clear sign that Western energy companies are preparing to enter the country. Reports yesterday revealed that Total had teamed up with Chevron and that they were putting together plans for Majnoon, the fourth-biggest oilfield in Iraq, with estimated potential reserves of 12 billion barrels.
Elf, now part of Total, negotiated a contract to run Majnoon with Saddam Hussein in the late 1990s. Both Total and Chevron refused to comment, but industry sources said that the two companies had met Iraqi officials to discuss a services agreement to develop the field. While less lucrative than a pro-duction-sharing agreement, where companies discover and sell on the oil, experts said that it would give them a vital foothold for other deals.
Iraq holds an estimated 110 billion barrels of oil, with more than half still to be developed, offering huge opportunities to Western companies desperate for new reserves. So far, companies such as Total, BP, Shell and Exxon have limited themselves to helping the Iraqi Oil Ministry to train junior staff and pull together data recorded under Saddam.
BP, however, is understood to have been asked to look into the potential of Kirkuk in the north. Shell is thought to have studied Rumaila, the country’s biggest oilfield. Muhammad-Ali Zainy, a former oil official in the Iraqi Government, said: “Iraq is the last remaining frontier that offers so much potential. International oil companies will be in Iraq, but in what form it is difficult to tell.”
Iraq is expected to ratify a petroleum law that would allow deals with Western companies to take place next month. However, experts believe that it could take years for companies to feel confident in sending contractors to the unstable country. The Irish-owned Petrel Resources is one of four minnows operating in Iraq under a contract to develop the Subba and Luhais field. Dave Horgan, managing director, said: “The big companies will be chomping at the bit to sign a deal. They will then hope they can delay any work for two or three years until the security scares die down.”
Labels: BP, Chevron, Elf, Kirkuk, Majnoon, Muhammad-Ali Zainy, Petrel Resources, Rumaila field, Shell, Subba and Luhais field, Total
