Iraqi Bill Clarification
The lede below on the Kurdish Baghdad deal on distribution of petroleum receipts contains some inaccuracies, according to Ben Lando of UPI. Apparently the deal is not about the petroleum bill but about distribution of profits. Will link when I can. This is by treo on the side of a mountain in a thunderstorm.
Update: Well, I'm off the mountain and the sun is shining. Here's the clarification:
While Iraqi negotiators have made a major breakthrough on sharing revenue from oil sales, the key issue of exactly how to govern the country's vast reserves is far from settled.
Iraqi negotiators have come to an agreement on divvying up revenues from oil sales, a major, though not final breakthrough on a package of oil laws.
The draft of the revenue sharing law on which there has been a breakthrough is is up at the website of the Kurdistan Regional Government.
Another informed reader writes, "It appears that the KRG has reached an agreement with respect to how much revenue they should receive from the federal government as a “block grant” under the budget, but that has nothing to do with the proposed Petroleum Law.
"The proposed Petroleum Law in circulation and receiving comments sets forth the procedures for the award of oil field development contracts.
"It has one provision referring to the establishment of two funds – an “Oil Revenue Fund” and “Future Fund” – but has nothing more about the two funds and expressly calls for additional legislation to deal with them."
Labels: Iraq
posted by Juan Cole @ 6/22/2007 09:02:00 AM
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The 6/21 UPI news analysis of the Iraqi oil deal is available online here.
It seems that while the profit sharing is acceptable to the Kurds, the actual matter of how to share oil resources, and whether or not to sell oil to Western oil companies through contracts skewed in favor of providing huge profits to said companies, is still dividing the parliament.
The process of deciding who gains access to Iraqi oil is shady and mired in secrecy. A November 2005 study by Greg Muttitt, titled "Crude Designs" (supported by various watchdog groups), noted that "with the active involvement of the US and British governments a group of powerful Iraqi politicians and technocrats is pushing for a system of long term contracts with foreign oil companies which will be beyond the reach of Iraqi courts, public scrutiny or democratic control."
The study also pointed out that these contracts would cost the Iraqi people billions of dollars in lost revenue, due to the enormous profit margins granted to the Western oil companies.
This study is available online as well.
In question, also, is the disposition of the Iraqi Sunnis, who are more likely to vote on this bill through bullets rather than ballots... While the Iraqi oil fields may lie in Kurdish and Shia areas, the pipelines are well known to the Sunni insurgents who are quite adept at blowing them up to sabotage Iraq's oil supplies.
-Abhinav Aima
What a tease... How about a photo?
"The Turkish military called for popular protests against PKK violence by Kurdish forces based in Iraqi Kurdistan"--Cole.
I know you admire the Turkish Military but dont you find it odd that the Military is asking for popular protests and not the government? Ohh i forgot, Turkey is a Military State. One more thing there Mr. Cole, you said the PKK is based in Iraqi Kurdistan? It seems what you really want is the only stable area in Iraq to go up in flames. Let us see what the Turkish government says about this. From the Turkish Prime Minister's own mouth:
"There are 500 terrorists in northern Iraq. There are 5,000 terrorists in mountains in Turkey," Erdogan told journalists. "Has the fight with the 5,000 terrorists inside Turkey ended for us to think about an operation in northern Iraq?"
Lets see what the BBC says:
"...the Kurdish PKK based in Turkey,"
Ok, time for me to grab something to eat. Take care now.
And now on a serious news and issues of concern... Paris Hilton said will be released soon!!
Juan notice the pan-islamic nature of the guerillas against the occupation. of the 7 who died 2 were killed in east baghdad (sadr city) while a brit was killed in basra by presumably shia militia men.
Is moktadas recent attempt to unify the resistance working?
Are the shias slowly rising up, thus giving the US army its nightmare scenario?
Everyone we fight in Iraq is now "al-Qaida"
A change in the way the Bush administration and military commanders refer to "the enemy" in Iraq has been almost immediately adopted by the media.
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2007/06/23/al_qaeda/index.html
The media is al-Qaeda's best p.r. agency
http://takeitpersonally.blogspot.com/2007/06/media-is-al-qaedas-best-pr-agency.html
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyid=2007-06-22T093026Z_01_COL021520_RTRUKOC_0_US-IRAQ.xml&src=nl_usmorningdigest
Re: Insurgents or Al Qaeda in Iraq (aka Islamic State of Iraq:
Dr Cole, would a fair authority be the Islamic Army of Iraq? During the recent contretemps between the two the IAI issued a public statement calling on Osama BL to pull the ISI into line. Doesn't this indicate AlQ is/was giving them problems? And also that AlQ is regarded as a significant part of the insurgency by the insurgents themselves?
For instance, in Anbar governorate - what has the non AlQ component of the insurgency been doing to combat the US in the last few months? Apparently very little. Why? Did the tribes chase them out of Ramadi etc too, or, as we say in Australia, are they playing doggo? If they are, then why? It would be good if you could comment on these developments?
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