Iraq Kurds defy Baghdad on oil deals

[Barrett808]

Source: AFP

ARBIL, Iraq (AFP) - The autonomous Kurdish regional government in northern Iraq defied Baghdad on Monday, vowing to sign more contracts with international oil firms despite the national government's opposition.

"The (regional) government will continue with the contracts and they will be implemented," its prime minister Nechirvan Barzani said.

"No one can cancel any contract of the KRG (Kurdistan regional government) signed with foreign companies," a defiant Barzani told reporters in the regional capital Arbil.

Iraqi Oil Minister Hussain Shahristani has declared all oil contracts between the Kurdish administration and foreign companies null and void, saying they have been signed illegally in the absence of a national oil law.

Barzani insisted the contracts are legal and fall within the provisions of the region's constitution.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071126/wl_mideast_afp/iraqoilkurd

[bemildred]

1. Dang! How will this disagreement get settled? nt

[ixion]

2. darn Kurds... trying to deprive the US oil companies of exploiting their resources

how dare they! :sarcasm:

[rockybelt]

3. I don't

see any problems here. Move along folks, nothing to see here!:sarcasm:

[boricua79]

4. that's fine...let them sign as many papers as they want

No company would be stupid enough to sign contracts, knowing full well that the those they sign with have no legal, and physical/military authority to enforce their contracts. If they actually begin to conduct business and transact funds and resources on the ground, they're asking to see those resources nationalized or disrupted by a central government that moves to assert its power. The government already began to do that by voiding those contracts. Contracts are paper...it's a legal commitment...and legal commitments must be physically enforced by some police authority. So it comes down to this...who do you believe will win out in "enforcing"...the Central Government and the Iraqi Army, or the Peshmerga militias?

I wouldn't bet on the "Kurdish" horse right about now. The Iraqi government is stronger, the U.S. backs them because of their goals for a stronger central government, and the Turks are preparing for war (gaining them the support of the U.S., who fear a more pronounced Turkish invasion).

[acmavm]

5. Hmmmmm. I wonder if these two incidents are related...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3077669

[donkeyotay]

6. Probably. This, too. Sounds like they're doing bidness.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3077987