Information and liaison bulletin - Institut kurde de Paris

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• 4 • Information and liaison bulletin n° 272 • November 2007 In all, about fifteen blocks have been allocated by the Kurdish Government since the region passed an oil and gas law in August 20007. “Only 17% of the income from Kurdish oil will remain in Kurdistan, the remaining 83% will benefit Iraqis living outside Kurdistan”, the communiqué stated. Dr. Hawrami insisted that the signing of new contracts was “a major stage in towards the objective that the Kurdish region has set itself of producing a million barrels a day”. An Iraqi Parliamentary Bill, regarding the respective prerogatives of provinces and central State in this strategic sector, has been under discussion for the last few months but has still not been put on the agenda for debate in full session, despite the insistence of the United States that wants desperately to see it passed. The Bill would widely open the Iraqi Oil sector, which has been nationalised since the 70s, to foreign private companies. It lays down a distribution of oil revenues between the central States and the productive provinces Critics of this law consider that it give too generous a share to foreign companies, that would receive a guaranteed percentage of the income from oil exports to repay their investments. They insist that, as Iraqi oil is one of the cheapest to extract in the world, the investments required could be made by the Iraqi government itself without making any hole in the country’s revenue. At present, 72% of Iraq’s oil comes from three Southern provinces, of which 60% comes from the Basra region alone. The bulk of Iraqi crude is also exported from the Basra terminal. However, new geological research has shown the possibility of deposits in Kurdistan and also in the West, hitherto lacking in operating oilfields. “We have waited five months (…) the members of the Iraqi Parliament have done nothing and there is no sign that they are going to do anything rapidly”, the Kurdish Prime Minister, Nechirvan Barzani, deplored in justification of his government’s choice “in the name of federalism” — and to express his determination “to set an example”. Iraqi Kurdistan, the sole island of peace in an Iraq extensively plunged into chaos on the strength of the wide autonomy that the Constitution gives it, has been enjoying regained economic prosperity since the overthrow of the Saddam Hussein regime in 2003. The Kurdish leaders have repeatedly affirmed their determination to exploit their mineral resources and are thus, with the signature of these new contracts moving into top gear. Thus early in September the regional government announced the signature of a contract with a local subsidiary of the American Hunt Oil company of Dallas and with the Impulse Energy Corporation (IEC) for exploring oilfields in the Dohuk region. According to Kiwan Siwaily, Adviser to the Kur- dish Minister of Oil Resources, Ashti Hawrami, “Iraq has over 12% of the worlds oil resources, 5% of which are in our region”. Since the 1920s, for political reasons, Kurdistan has never been allowed to develop them. Saddam Hussein did not even allow Kurdish students to attend courses in oil and gas technology. In the 70s enormous oilfields were found in Iraqi Kurdistan but barely explored. Since the fall of the regime in 2003, they have attracted the covetous appetites of the international oil industry, whose representatives are gathering at Irbil the regional capital. “We have to secure the consent of the central government to export oil but we don’t have to ask anyone permission to supply our own needs”, added Mr. Siwaily, when questioned by journalists on 16 November. “Today we are only producing 20,000 barrels a day and we need 100,000. Its oil, its our right (…) They can discuss the federal Bill for ever in Baghdad (…) It could talk them two or three years. We have lost enough time already. We have here enough oil to supply the whole of the Middle East. Just you see — in two or three years we’ll be self-sufficient”, added Mr. Siwaily. The Kurdish authorities have stated that they would be satisfied with the quota of 17% of the eventual receipts from exports that they would be authorised to receive (under the draft Bill). At Federal level, this 17% is also the proportion of the national Budget granted to the Kurdish region.
n° 272 • November 2007 Information and liaison bulletin • 5 • ANKARA: AMERICAN AND TURKISH GENERALS DISCUSS MILITARY COOPERATION AGAINST THE PKK T HE United States and Iraq are making every effort to dissuade Ankara from opening a second front in Iraqi Kurdis- and the Kurdish authorities. These meetings between high-ranking officers of both countries followed on a meeting in Washington on 5 tan, the only region still spared the November between Turkish Prime chaos and violence reigning in the Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, rest of the country. The American and US President George W. Bush. authorities have, however, agreed Some 100,000 Turkish troops have to supply Turkey with information been deployed along the Iraqi Kur- regarding the PKK’s positions so distan border. Mr. Erdogan, never- as to enable the Turkish Army to theless stated on 20 November that carry out specific and limited oper- Ankara would not have immediate ations. In the course of a meeting recourse to cross-border opera- in Ankara on 24 November, senior tions, although authorised by par- Turkish and American military leaders discussed cooperation in liament. the struggle against the PKK. For his part, on 21 November the Turkish President, Abdullah Gul, The Head of the Turkish Armed welcomed the measures taken by Forces General Staff, General Yasar the Iraqi Kurds but warned that Buyukanit and the Commander in the option of military intervention Chief of US Forces in Europe, Gen- had not been ruled out. The Bagheral Bantz Craddock discussed dad authorities and the Kurds “cooperation in the joint struggle have announced measures to against the PKK terrorist organisa- restrict the movements of PKK tion, including sharing of fighters. “We see that common sense Intelligence”, indicated a Turkish has, littler by little, started to prevail Army communiqué. General James in Northern Iraq”, declared Mr. Gul Cartwright, Vice President of the to journalists in Tbilisi, shortly US General Staff, and General before a ceremony starting the David Petraeus, Commander in building of a railway line connect- Chief of US Forces in Iraq, had ing Azerbaijan, Georgia and already been welcomed on 20 Turkey. Mr. Gul’s statements coin- November by the Turkish General cided with the threats of a PKK Staff’s number two man, General leader stating that his troops Ergin Saygun, and had already left would create a reign of terror in Turkey for Iraq for discussions Iraqi Kurdistan if the United States with the Iraqi central government and the Iraqi Kurds started to help Turkey against the PKK. “If we wish we can create instability and endanger their interests”, declared Cemil Bayik, quoted by the Firat News press agency. On 6 November, Murat Karayilan, another PKK leader, for his part called on Turkey to negotiate with his organisation, stating that dialogue, not armed confrontation, was the key to ending 23 years of struggle. “These operations and attacks will never put an end to the guerrilla (…) Do not darken the new century by confronting the Kurds”, he had declared to the Firat News agency. “You (Ankara) insist on our leaving Iraq. Would that really be a solution? (…) Our forces are everywhere (…) We are also present on Turkish soil”, the PKK leader had concluded. In the course of a press conference on 20 November, at the end of a meeting with European leaders in Brussels, the Turkish Foreign Minister, Ali Babacan declared for his part: “When the time has come and when it will be necessary, we will use all the instruments we have in our struggle with the PKK (…) Turkey possesses a certain number of tools to fight terrorism and will continue to use them. These include political dialogue, diplomatic and military tools”. The Iraqi Foreign Minister, Hoshyar Zebari, who was also in Brussels nevertheless considered that the danger of military intervention had diminished. Questioned about these statements, Mr. Babacan welcomed the political commitment of the Iraqi Central Government.
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