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Kurdistan region oil exports to flow only under new Iraqi govt
18 / 5 / 2010
Kurdistan region 'Iraq', — Oil exports from Iraq's semi-autonomous northern Kurdistan region will start only after the formation of a new Iraqi government, the region's natural resources minister said.
Parliamentary elections were held on March 7 but produced no outright winner. A vote recount in Baghdad and coalition building talks have prolonged the formation of a new government.
Oil deals Kurdistan signed independently with foreign firms have put Kurdistan and Iraq's central government at loggerheads for months.
The Arab-led government deems the deals illegal and refuses to pay firms involved such as Norway's DNO and Turkey's Genel Enerji.
The disagreement halted oil exports from Kurdistan last year, but Iraq's deputy oil minister said last week that an agreement between Baghdad and the Kurdish region to restart oil exports could come within days.
But Kurdistan Natural Resources Minister Ashti Hawrami told Reuters late on Sunday that the deal, designed to help exports resume ahead of the formation of the new government,www.ekurd.netwas unlikely to take effect.
"Will the interim agreement will be pushed through? I don't think so, wait until the government is formed. I think export will happen as soon as the formation of the government," he said.
A recount of the Iraqi vote showed on Sunday that a cross-sectarian coalition led by secularist former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi held its two-seat win in the March election.
But the poll victory is on shaky ground as Iraq's two major Shi'ite coalitions have already announced an alliance to form the largest bloc in parliament, which is likely to prolong coalition building.
If oil exports are to begin before a government forms, technical issues must still be worked out including how the central government can audit expenses and transfer money to the regional government, the minister said.
"Therefore you hear statements of goodwill from Baghdad and the Ministry of Oil that there is an agreement. Yes, there is an agreement, but where is the answer to the financial payments?" he said.
"Once we have that we can start the process, it wouldn't take more than two to three days to open up the pipelines, and start with say 100,000 barrels of oil a day.".
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| 132,5 Iranian Tuman |
DI 150 |
| Turkish Lera1000000 |
800 DI |
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| Construction stuff prices |
| 1 Ton Erbil Steel bar |
510$ |
| 1 Ton Turkish Steel bar |
540$ |
| 1 Ton Tasloja cement |
100$ |
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