Mowaffak al-Rubaie was largely optimistic Friday in a speech during a Washington visit, including on plans to protect and bolster the crucial energy sector.
“That’s the best compromise I think, whereby everybody goes home partly unhappy. And that compromise, I think we are very close to that. We need some tweaking on that.”
Rubaie also said the security situation is improving and will allow them to focus on oil economics.
C-SPAN has the video of the speech and QandA.
Iraq’s Oil
Iraq’s Kurdistan region is moving forward on its own to develop the expected oil reserves found beneath its three Iraqi provinces, as I explained Tuesday.
They’re moving this way because Baghdad has been unable to reach a deal with the Kurdistan Regional Government on some key issues like federalism and the extent of privatizing the sector.
Tariq Shafiq helped write the oil law. An Iraqi who now is a petroleum consultant in London, he now opposes it because it has weakened the central government’s role.
Iraqis should no longer keep quite about the attitude of KRG. With this KRG attitude, a confrontation is inevitable. If you may observe, more and more anti-statements are coming out of Iraqi politicians from the rest of the country.
A vivid example of Kurds behaving as if from a separate independent state is (Kurdish leader and Iraqi President Jalal) Talabani’s statement vis-a-vis Biden’s declaration and its Senate approval. His pro-Biden sectarian divided Iraq came to contradict all Iraqi politicians’ declarations including the official Iraqi Parliament and the PM’s stands; when all condemned it. He certainly behaved as a head of KRG and not Head of Iraq State.
Such KRG attitude can only bring about a confrontation sooner than later, which in my opinion is best for both. KRG should not behave as a con-federal if not an independent state while it meddles in the affairs of Iraq, the State, from within and without.
More on the Biden-Talabani meeting in Thursday’s Iraq Oil Report.
Translation of the Kurdish daily Rozhnama: Census to be held in Iraqi oil-rich Kirkuk in mid Nov 07
The process of conducting a full census in the Kirkuk Governorate will begin in mid November 2007, the deputy head of the commission on implementing Article 140, Narmin Uthamn, told the Rozhnama daily.
She said: “Some points relating to the census were thought to be the parliament’s responsibility, but it has been concluded after detailed research that all of these issues come under the responsibility of the executive authorities. Hence, a committee has been set up to look into the mechanisms for carrying out a census and problems that might face the process.”
It is noteworthy that, in accordance with Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution designed to resolve the status of Kirkuk and other disputed areas the census will be followed by a referendum to decide on the city’s fate: whether to be incorporated into the Kurdistan Region or remain as part of the rest of Iraq. The deadline for the referendum is the end of 2007.
Western Zagros, the Iraqi Kurdistan subsidiary of Canada’s Western Oil Sands, announced on its website its board of directors and officers as well as an update on Kurdistan operations.
Zagros is being spun off of WOS as part of Marathon’s purchase requirements. As a major with an eye on the rest of Iraq, owning a company operating in the KRG is a no-no.
Zuhair al-Laithi reports for Azzaman Minister hails 2008 budget, boosted by higher oil prices.
Security, Society and Politics
Iraq Slogger reports 22 Armed Groups Announce Common Front
Ali Al-Mawsawi reports in Azzaman in English Kurds losing $1 million a day on Iran’s closing of border
McClatchy Baghdad bureau’s blog post: Happy Birthday to You My Son
Greg Bruno of the Council on Foreign Relations: Going Long in Iraq
