Oil Drilling Kurds Concern Bagdat

The central government in Iraq is uncomfortable with Kurds drilling for oil in northern Iraq.

Iraqi politicians accuse the northern Iraq government, controlled by Kurds, of acting without providing reports. A spokesman for Iraq's prime minister, Ibrahim al-Jaafari, said, "We were surprised a great deal" on hearing the news, and this event may be used towards the constitution specifying equal distribution of oil incomes. According to Sunni spokesman Hussein al-Falluji, the Kurds were seeking to take the country's natural resources and break away. Sunnis are reportedly angrier than Shiites over the situation, and since Shiites have a bilateral agreement with the Kurds the two will not let Sunnis benefit from natural resources. The local government in Northern Iraq started drilling three oil wells on Tuesday in the Kabaruk area, 16 km away from Silopi and Najirvan Barzani. One of the Kurds' two regional prime ministers stressed, "There is no way Kurdistan would accept that the central government will control our resources."

Massoud Barzani, the leader of the Iraq Kurdistan Democratic Party, claimed Kerkuk (Kirkuk) will be left to the control of Kurdish administration in 2007 by a powerful representation in the new parliament and government. Barzani, stressing the importance of the elections on 15 December, said cities such as Kirkuk, Hanekin, Mahmour, and Singal should be left to the Kurdish administration, and Kurdish success in the elections is crucial to draw the final boundaries. "The advantages gained so far," said Iraq Kurdistan Democratic Party leader, "might end in deadlock," and he warned, "Such a situation leads Federal Iraq to chaos and disorder." He continued that it will be more proper for Kurdish interests to stay bound to Federal Iraq instead of gaining independence due to the conditions.


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02.12.2005
Cihan News Agency
Bagdat (Baghdad)
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