Insurgents sabotaged an exporting oil well in Iraq on Friday, stepping up pressure on the U.S.-backed government struggling to steer Iraq through a political crisis over a draft constitution.
In an all too familiar scene in a country with the world's third largest oil reserves, flames threatened to halt output from the well, which pumps 7,000 to 10,000 barrels per day (bpd) and feeds a pipeline to Turkey. An Iraqi oil official said firefighters were battling the blaze in the northern Kirkuk oilfields, which have been spared the relentless attacks on domestic and export oil pipelines in the region.
Hours after the parliament speaker announced politicians needed more time to finalise the constitution after relentless wrangling, insurgents reminded them of economic turmoil with the well blast. Whether or not guerrillas intended it that way, the attack was a potent reminder that multi-ethnic Kirkuk is one of the most emotionally-charged issues in Iraqi politics.
The Kurds, who are demanding more autonomy for their de facto state in the north in the constitution, say Kirkuk should rightfully be part of their region while Arab Sunnis and Turkmen lay claim to the oil centre too. Frequent sabotage of oil pipelines has deprived state coffers of badly needed oil revenue and the attack on the Kirkuk oilfields raises new questions about repeated government vows to protect the country's strategic natural resource. "This is a very big problem. The well head was damaged and the fire is spreading. They are trying to stop it," the oil official told Reuters.
http://go.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=839035§ion=news&src=rss/uk/worldNews
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