''Exxon upset Baghdad last year when it agreed to hunt for oil in Iraq's self-ruled Kurdish region.
The
Kurds and the central government disagree over how to develop Iraq's
vast oil reserves. Baghdad wants to manage the resources nationwide, but
the Kurds insist the constitution allows them to sign deals on their
own.
That disagreement
continued to play out Friday, with Abdullah saying that Iraq has warned
Russia's Gazprom that it must decide whether to keep its own deals with
the Kurds or give up rights to develop the 100 million barrel Badra
field in central Iraq.
Gazprom agreed to develop two oil deals in the northern Kurdish region in August.
Iraq needs foreign investment to develop its natural resources after decades of war, U.N. sanctions and neglect.''
No comments:
Post a Comment