Iraqi Kurds Approve Oil Law

[Scurrilous]

Source: Washington Post

<snip>

"Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish government approved a regional oil law on Tuesday, paving the way for foreign investment in their northern oil and gas fields even as similar U.S.-backed legislation for the entire country remained stalled.

The measure gives the regional government the right to administer its oil wealth in the three northern governates _ Irbil, Sulaimaniyah and Dahuk _ as well as what it called "disputed territories," referring to Kirkuk, one of Iraq's largest crude oil hubs.

Kurdish Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani signed the law Tuesday, calling it a "historic moment."

"This is the first time in Iraq's history that we have a say regarding our natural resources within the frame of the Iraqi constitution," he said at a news conference in Irbil, 220 miles north of Baghdad.

The Kurdish law is separate from the proposed national oil law, which aims to divide Iraq's oil wealth among Sunnis, Shiites, Kurds and other Iraqi groups. It has been bogged down due to wide differences between Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds on local control of oil fields."







Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/07/AR2007080701329.html

[tridim]

1. Suckers. nt

[Junkdrawer]

2. Well, time to release Barzani's children from "protective custody"...

We wuz just keeping a fatherly eye on your kids, honest....

[thunder rising]

3. And now the three way civil war can begin in earnest

Religion is one thing ... but this is MONEY were talk'n 'bout.

[Old and In the Way]

4. In other words, they bought Barzani off.

I just love this bit of bullshit-

"the proposed national oil law, which aims to divide Iraq's oil wealth among Sunnis, Shiites, Kurds and other Iraqi groups." Yes, it's all so very democratic....the Oil Companies will only rebuild the fields and infrastrucure and distribute the wealth to the people. Thanks for sharing the Republican talking points, WP.

[elfin]

5. This agreement was all Bushco wanted in order to leave -

I confess I did not read the entirety - but if it gives "foreign" - ie US based conglomerates - a lot of ownership and/or power ---" Mission Accomplished" and who cares what happens after.

[IndianaGreen]

6. Of course they would, they already signed contracts with foreign companies

They can only see what's good for them, not for the country as a whole. I expect them to continue their low-keyed ethnic cleansing of non-Kurds.

[David__77]

7. Kurds are going to regret their leadership being such US flunkeys.

They think that can win their independence through carrying water for the US but they'll end up regretting these actions.

[Javaman]

8. Actually I think this is pretty smart on their part...

since turkey is breathing down their necks, it behooves the kurds to sign a deal like this.

because once the super corps have headquarters in both turkey and the kurdish region there is less likely a chance for war.

it's all about money. in this case protection money.