Biden warns Barzani .. No right to manipulate the region’s oil riches
Biden warns Barzani .. No right to manipulate the region’s oil riches
02/01/2014 10:51
U.S. Vice President asserts that the Iraqi constitution stipulates that the central government alone could be responsible for the issue of the export of oil
BAGHDAD / obelisk urged U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, President of Kurdistan, Massoud Barzani, to work with and respond to the federal government on the issue of Iraqi oil exports, while Biden Barzani warned of “manipulation of the region’s oil riches.”
Biden said in a telephone call during the second month, the current head of the province, that “the United States is very interested in what is going on between the KRG and Baghdad,” stressing “the strengthening of relations between the two sides and an end to this dispute as an internal Iraqi affair.”
He warned Biden head the provincial government of “taking any step that would worsen the situation,” stressing that “the Iraqi constitution stipulates that the federal government alone could be responsible for the issue of the export of oil and sell it on the world market and has no right to the province of manipulating this wealth being the property of all Iraqis “.
The two sides also discussed the efforts to end the crisis in the region and ways to combat terrorism and to support the U.S. in Iraq.
An Iraqi official said, on Friday, said that the Baghdad government hired a law firm to pursue any buyer to see that Kurdish oil is being exported illegally.
Over the past year, the Government of the Kurdistan region of Iraq, about the shipment of 60 thousand barrels per day of crude oil to the Turkish port via tanker trucks to avoid the pipeline network operated by the Iraqi Baghdad as part of its quest to gain more control over oil revenues.
The federal government has threatened to sue the government of Kurdistan because these shipments in a dispute going on a long time ago and failed talks between Baghdad and Irbil in yet settled, but did not take any legal action.
But Baghdad is now poised to move because it says that the Kurds have raised the bet to build a pipeline linking their region, Turkey.
Said a senior Iraqi oil official said Iraq’s Oil Ministry has asked the companies Vinson and Elkins law firm about two months ago prosecute anyone buys oil is pumped through this pipeline to the Turkish port of Ceyhan.
The official, who requested anonymity, “This is not a game. Anyone who buys this oil is doing something illegal., And we will go after the companies for which they are paying the price Kurdish oil. Otherwise there is no way of bringing them to market.”
The company refused Vinson and Ilkknz carried by the representation of the Iraqi government to comment.
almasalah.com
