One oil field awarded, many questions remain

One oil field awarded, many questions remain

Iraq’s Oil Ministry must decide what next after putting eight oil and gas fields up for foreign oil investors.

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BREAKING: Text of Status Of Forces Agreement

Submitted by Ben Lando on Tuesday, 18 November 20083 Comments

A trusted source passed along what is believed to be the version of the SOFA approved Sunday by Iraq’s Cabinet and signed Monday by U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker and Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari.

It must still be approved by Iraq’s Parliament, no easy task. Iraq Oil Report will have more on this Wednesday. Also still in the dark, the details of the Strategic Framework surrounding work in the economic and other sectors as part of the SOFA package.

From the SOFA text:

Article 26
Iraqi Assets

1. To enable Iraq to continue to develop its national economy through the rehabilitation of its economic infrastructure, as well as providing necessary essential services to the Iraqi people, and to continue to safeguard Iraq’s revenues from oil and gas and other Iraqi resources and its financial and economic assets located abroad, including the Development Fund for Iraq, the United States shall ensure maximum efforts to:

a. Support Iraq to obtain forgiveness of international debt resulting from the policies of the former regime.

b. Support Iraq to achieve a comprehensive and final resolution of outstanding reparation claims inherited from the previous regime, including compensation requirements imposed by the UN Security Council on Iraq.

2. Recognizing and understanding Iraq’s concern with claims based on actions perpetrated by the former regime, the President of the United States has exercised his authority to protect from United States judicial process the Development Fund for Iraq and certain other property in which Iraq has an interest. The United States shall remain fully and actively engaged with the Government of Iraq with respect to continuation of such protections and with respect to such claims.

3. Consistent with a letter from the President of the United States to be sent to the Prime Minister of Iraq, the United States remains committed to assist Iraq in connection with its request that the UN Security Council extend the protections and other arrangements established in Resolution 1483 (2003) and Resolution 1546 (2003) for petroleum, petroleum products, and natural gas originating in Iraq, proceeds and obligations from sale thereof, and the Development Fund for Iraq.

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