Thread: Archive Latest News - Think Tank - 16/08/07 - 03/11/07

Iraq in talks with oil majors for plans

Iraq's government is discussing oil field development with global oil majors as it attempts to boost production amidst security concerns.

Iraq produces about 2 million barrels per day now, but the vast oil sector needs billions in investment to fix and modernize the operating infrastructure, let alone develop and explore.

Iraq Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani said earlier this month in Dubai his government would move forward on signing oil deals de****e the lack of a modern oil law. That law is stuck in parliamentary debate. Shahristani would rely on 1980s legislation to dictate deals.

The Christian Science Monitor reports Chevron is in talks with Iraq to develop in the south of the country; Shell for fields in Kirkuk; Japex for east Baghdad fields; Ivanov, the Russian firm, in northwest Iraq; and ConocoPhillips has teamed with the state-run Northern Oil Co. for the Kirkuk area.

The five-year plan for Iraq is to boost production to more than 6 million barrels per day, exporting 5.2 million. Iraq imports much of its fuels but is looking to build new refineries to meet domestic demand.

Iraq exports about 1.6 million bpd now, nearly all from ports in Basra, in the south. The main pipeline in the north, from Kirkuk to Ceyhan, Turkey, has been attacked so often it is largely irrelevant. Security patrols along the pipeline have been stepped up and $30 million worth of fortification projects are to be finished in March, the Monitor reports.

The added protection wasn't enough to keep a bomb from exploding under the pipeline between Kirkuk and Baiji, Iraq, last week, halting the limited exports that had been flowing for a few weeks.

Iraq in talks with oil majors for plans : World

Stop Meddling in Iraq, PM Urges Neighboring States

In a speech to the UN General Assembly, Iraq's Prime Minister has urged neighbouring states to stop meddling in his country.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki has told the United Nations that the continued flow of weapons, money and suicide bombers into his country would result in "Disastrous consequences" for the world.

He has urged the international community to support Iraq's national reconciliation process to rid terrorism from the country and bring peace to the region.

The United States has blamed Iran for stoking much of the violence that has bedevilled Iraq.

Meanwhile the US Defence Secretary, Robert Gates, is asking Congress to approve almost $220 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan next year.

PUKmedia :: English - Stop Meddling in Iraq, PM Urges Neighboring States

Croatia to Open Diplomatic Representation Office in Kurdistan Region Soon

Mr. Omar Fattah, KRG deputy PM discussed today with the Croatian ambassador in Iraq the joint ties between both sides and ways to promote them in all aspects in the near future.

They both disused the opening of Croatian diplomatic representation office in Kurdistan region, wherein Croatia expressed its intention to open a consul in Kurdistan region and to develop economy, and commercial ties between Croatia and Kurdistan region.

The Croatian ambassador announced the readiness of Croatian companies to participate in reconstruction of Iraq, indicating that a delegation from the Croatian companies will visit Kurdistan region soon.

PUKmedia :: English - Croatia to Open Diplomatic Representation Office in Kurdistan Region Soon

Australians take over protecting Iraq's key offshore oil fields

Manama - Protection of Iraq's two key offshore oil fields was handed to the Royal Australian Navy Thursday as it assumed command from the US Navy. The protection of both Al Basrah (ABOT) and Khawr al Amaya (KAAOT) platforms, 50 kilometres from Basra, continues to be a key mission for US-led coalition forces four years after Saddam Hussein's ouster.

US Navy SEALS and Polish Special Forces had secured the two during the opening hours of Operation Iraqi Freedom in March 2003.

At a ceremony at the US Navy 5th Fleet headquarters in Manama, royal Australian Navy Commodore Allan du Toit relieved the US Navy's Rear Admiral Garry E. Hall as commander of Combined Task Force (CTF) 158.

It was the third time Australia has led the task force, as command of CTF 158 typically rotates among coalition partners Australia, Britain and the United States.

The force was set up in support of UN Security Council Resolution 1723. The two offshore fields account for more than 80 per cent of Iraq's current revenues.

Du Toit said oil exports from the two terminals were fundamental for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Iraq.

"The oil exports passing through these platforms account for about 90 per cent of the country's GPD. Simply put, without these exports, there could be no lasting reconstruction," he said.

Hall said the task force was also helping train Iraqi Navy and Marines personnel. The Iraqi Navy would eventually assume full responsibility for the security of the platforms and its territorial waters, but he would not speculate when.

Du Toit, who was raised and educated in Durban, South Africa, was the first non-US Navy officer to command Multi-National Maritime Interception Operation units enforcing UN sanctions against Iraq during his 2001-2002 deployment in the Gulf.

ABOT, built in the 1970s, is the main stop for super tankers, which export Iraqi oil overseas, accounting for about 95 per cent of the offshore production.

One and a half million barrels of crude oil are pumped daily via ABOT, which is about half of the terminal's loading capacity of three million barrels per day. ABOT reopened in July 2003, and KAAOT in February 2004.

KAAOT, which was built in late 1950s, sees less super tanker activity and like the rest of the country's oil infrastructure, suffers from years of neglect, damage from the consecutive wars, sanctions, and continued terrorist threats.

Australians take over protecting Iraq's key offshore oil fields : Middle East World

US' Hunt Oil deal with Kurdish govt creating tension in Iraq - US official

A US official today criticised an oil deal between Texas-based Hunt Oil Company and Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), saying it had 'needlessly elevated tensions' in Iraq.

Hunt had been advised by the US State Department not to sign the deal before the Iraqi parliament passed a national oil bill that will share out the country's lucrative oil revenues, but it went ahead anyway, a US embassy official in Baghdad told reporters.

The contract signed earlier this month was declared 'illegal' by Iraqi Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani, sparking a war of words with the KRG, which told him to stop meddling in its affairs and said he should be sacked.

The KRG passed its own oil law in August and immediately entered into the exploration deal with Hunt.

The US embassy official, who would not be named, told a media briefing the signing of contracts by the KRG while a controversial national oil bill is still before parliament was undermining national unity.

'We think that these contracts have needlessly elevated tensions between the KRG and the Iraqi government,' said the official.

'Both parties share a common interest in the passage of a national law on hydrocarbons and energy sharing. We are pushing all parties to negotiate in good faith and knock off the things that will undermine national unity.'

The official said the future of the contract signed for Hunt to prospect for oil in Iraq's northern autonomous Kurdish region was far from certain.

'We advise companies that they could incur significant political and legal risk by signing contracts with any party before the national law is passed,' said the embassy official.

Iraq's oil infrastructure has been hit by decades of under-investment as a result of successive Gulf wars, 13 years of UN sanctions and the rampant insecurity that followed the US-led invasion in 2003.

The Hunt Oil contract is the first major deal since UN sanctions were imposed on Iraq when it invaded Kuwait in 1990.

No details of the contract have been released but the Dallas company, which has links with the White House, has said it would begin its geological survey work in the province of Dahuk, near Iraq's northwestern border with Turkey, by the end of this year and would begin drilling in 2008.

Washington regards passage of the oil legislation as key to efforts at national reconciliation in the country, which is wracked by an insurgency and sectarian violence.

The draft law was passed by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's national unity cabinet in July but faces tough passage in the 275-seat legislature, where the Kurdish bloc has 53 seats.

The US official said there was strong expectation that the law would pass through parliament before the end of the year.

'Provided it has the support of the Kurdish parties, it could be adopted fairly quickly,' he added.

US' Hunt Oil deal with Kurdish govt creating tension in Iraq - US official - Forbes.com

The Illusion of Dividing and Conquering in Iraq


If anyone still believes that Iraq is a free and sovereign state, a couple recent moves in Washington should put a rest to that thought forever. The first is the response to the most recent slaughter by the Blackwater mercenaries. The second is the vote on September 26, 2007 in the US Senate that calls for the division of Iraq into semi-autonomous regions that would be decided by the US client government inside Baghdad's Green Zone.

The response to the Blackwater murders from the Green Zone government was strong at first. The Minister of the Interior demanded the exit of the mercenaries from Iraq and possible prosecution of the murderers. Then the pressure from Washington began and the forceful language from the Green Zone Iraqis became considerably more conciliatory. As it stands at this writing, the Iraqi legislature is considering passing a law that would make the private mercenaries fighting Washington's war in Iraq the responsibility of the Pentagon. This would mean that they would answer to the men in uniform wearing lots of medals. It doesn't mean that their murderous actions would be punished, but it would mean that they would have to be sanctioned by the Pentagon. Given that there seems to be very few US military officers of high rank whose careers are not tied to Washington's version of success in Iraq, this change in the command chain seems like it will make very little difference in how the Blackwaters of the war operate.

Furthermore, the fact that Washington's goal in Iraq is complete control of that territory either directly or via some kind of pliable government seems to indicate that the mercenaries will be there awhile. That is the case even if Joe Biden's resolution calling for partition of Iraq becomes the strategy on the ground.

What's most disturbing about this resolution is its hubris. No matter what the origins of the Iraqi nation are (and they include colonial maneuvering by Britain and others after World War I) the fact is that it is a nation and the only people who should have any say in its division are the Iraqis. For the United States to decide that it wants the country to disintegrate is the height of arrogance. In fact, the only act that could be more arrogant would be to invade and occupy the country. Oh wait...that's already been done.

What this proves again is that Washington believes it rules the world. This belief is held by members of both the ruling parties and is essential to understanding how and why the US acts the way it does in the world. In a manner similar to the way Bill Clinton and company divided Yugoslavia according to its needs and desires at Dayton back in the 1990s, the Biden resolution is another effort at making a part of the world unwilling to bend to US control more controllable. De****e the repeated references to Yugoslavia and its partition by outside powers, the policy of partition did not begin there. Indeed, it's quite reasonable to argue that the US (via the United Nations Security Council) utilized the same device after World War Two in Korea and Vietnam with mixed results at best. Korea remains divided and Vietnam has been a singular nation since the US military defeat in 1975. Both nations suffered horrific wars that killed millions of their citizens.

While Iraq has not yet come close to the slaughters of Korea and Vietnam, it has certainly suffered unnecessarily because of Washington's attempts to decide its future in a way beneficial to Washington. Once again, if we refer to earlier attempts by Washington to partition nations unwilling to accede to its demands, there appears to be two potential outcomes should partition occur. The first would be the Korean option--an option that demands a fully-armed concentration of US military in country for the foreseeable future. Furthermore, this scenario seems to carry with it the potential for open war at almost any time. The Vietnam scenario would seem to tell us that if a nationalist resistance can maintain itself it can ultimately reunite a nation and throw the occupiers out. The Yugoslavia scenario is considerably murkier. Bosnia and Kosovo are still UN protectorates--which means that they are occupied by outside powers masquerading as UN peacekeepers. Economically, both continue to experience extremely high unemployment rates and minimal economic growth.

Partitioning Iraq is not a solution that is Washington's to make. The recent vote by the US Senate is misguided. In addition, it will do little to further the desire of the US public to bring the troops home. Instead, it will put US forces in the position of maintaining the newly created divisions along new lines in the sand. Senator Biden's resolution is not a solution. It is another false approach that has as much chance at success as anything tried by the Bush administration. In other words, it is destined to fail.

ZNet |Iraq | The Illusion of Dividing and Conquering in Iraq

Turkey, Iraq to sign security deal on Friday

Turkey and Iraq will Friday sign a security agreement to combat Turkish Kurd rebels taking refuge in northern Iraq, an Iraqi official said after arduous talks.

"The agreement will be signed tomorrow at 11:00 (0800 GMT) by the Turkish and Iraqi interior ministers," Besir Atalay and Jawad al-Bolani, an Iraqi official, Aydin Halid, told the Anatolia news agency on Thursday.
"The delegations are putting finishing touches to the text, he said.

The accord was first discussed Wednesday in talks between visiting Iraqi Interior Minister al-Bolani and Turkey's Besir Atalay, after which a senior member of the Iraqi delegation said the signing would take place on Thursday.

But the convoluted negotiations were complicated by differing stands.
"There are differences and we are trying to overcome them," Iraqi ambassador to Anakara Sabah Omran said in the afternoon.

Ankara has threatened a military incursion to strike at bases of the separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in neighbouring northern Iraq if Baghdad and Washington fail to curb the rebels, who have stepped up attacks inside Turkey this year.

The talks resumed Thursday after Iraqi Kurds, who run northern Iraq and have been accused by Ankara of tolerating and even aiding the PKK, raised objections to a key provision in the draft, the NTV news channel reported.

The provision would reportedly allow Turkey -- with prior Iraqi authorisation -- to conduct "hot pursuit", or small-scale military operations across the border to hunt down militants of the PKK.

The Iraqi side has also resisted committing to extradite to Ankara senior PKK members wanted by Interpol, NTV said.

Turkey says the PKK, listed as a terrorist group by Ankara, Washington and much of the international community, enjoys free movement in northern Iraq, where it obtains weapons and explosives.

Turkey has accused the forces of Massud Barzani, who heads the autonomous Kurdish administration there, of tolerating the group and even providing it with weapons, possibly including ammunition received from the United States.

In August, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a memorandum of understanding on security cooperation against alleged terrorist groups, among them the PKK, that paved the way for an agreement.

"We wish that this cooperation starts without delay... Terrorism should not hamper the development of our relations," Maliki said at the time.

But observers here doubt whether Maliki's embattled government, which has virtually no authority in northern Iraq, can cajole the Iraqi Kurds into action against the PKK, whose 23-year armed campaign for self-rule in southeast Turkey has resulted in more than 37,000 deaths.

In June, the Turkish army said there were some 5,000 PKK rebels in total, an estimated 2,800 to 3,100 of them based in northern Iraq.

The PKK has notably stepped up its attacks in the east and southeast of Turkey this year and, in response, the army has reinforced its units in the region and amassed troops on the border with Iraq.

Washington has warned Ankara against an incursion into northern Iraq, wary that it may destabilise a relatively peaceful region of the country and fuel fresh tensions between Turkey and the Iraqi Kurds, staunch US allies.

Turkey also suspects Iraqi Kurds of harbouring designs to break away from Baghdad, which it fears would embolden the PKK's separatist campaign.

Turkey, Iraq to sign security deal on Friday - Yahoo! News UK

Al-Sistani blesses proposed Iraqi "National Pact" (Roundup)

Iraqi Vice President Tarek al-Hashimi said Thursday that Shiite Leader Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani blessed the proposed Iraqi 'National Pact' after he had 'read it and gave his comments on it.'

Al-Hashimi, who is also the head of the Sunni Islamic Iraqi party, met al-Sistani at his home in the holy Shiite city of Najaf to discuss the political and security situation in Iraq.

The meeting came one day after al-Hashimi proposed 'a National Pact' project that he said was likely to achieve reconciliation in Iraq.

The pact calls for a pardon for Iraqis who took-up arms against the US forces and the Iraqi government in exchange for giving up their arms and joining the political process in Iraq.

'The project includes other mechanisms that were not announced Wednesday,' al-Hashimi told reporters after the meeting.

'These mechanisms, which focuses on the strategic situation of the country and the issue of forming the government, will be discussed with the political blocs,' he added.

The 25-principle-pact addresses basic issues that may lead to 'ending the deterioration in Iraq.'

It calls for 'equality among Iraqis before the law, the condemnation of killing based on identity, shunning extremism as well as rejecting foreign interference in the Iraqi affairs,' according to al-Hashimi.

Al-Hashimi said he explained to al-Sistani the reasons behind the withdrawal of the Iraqi Accordance Front (IAF) from the government.
Al-Hashimi headed a delegation from the IAF, which is the third largest bloc in parliament with 44 of 275 seats.

The bloc, which is made up of main Sunni Islamic parties, has pulled out of the ruling coalition led by Shiite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

The talks were held amid tight security and US planes were seen hovering over Najaf, 160 kilometres south-west of Baghdad.

Al-Sistani is a recluse who rarely leaves his home in Najaf and makes few public statements.

Al-Hashemi's visit to Najaf is the first since he assumed office in 2006.

Al-Sistani blesses proposed Iraqi "National Pact" (Roundup) - Middle East_

Iraq's Kurds reject Baghdad's security deal with Turkey

The government of Iraq's Kurdish autonomous region will not accept any security agreement sealed by Baghdad and Ankara without its consent, a Kurdish official said on Thursday.

Iraq's Minister of Interior Jawad al-Bulani has signed a security agreement in Ankara that would allow Turkish troops to make incursions into northern Iraqi territories in search for Kurdish rebels operating from the area.

The agreement is meant to allay Turkey's concerns over its own armed Kurdish rebels from the PKK who are still hiding out in northern Iraq.

'The question of the PKK is a political issue and it should not be resolved by military means,' Jamal Abdallah, the spokesman for the Kurdish Autonomous Region, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur.

Abdallah described any security agreement that aims at ending the rebel activities in Kurdish areas in northern Iraq as 'useless'.

He explained that it was difficult to control areas on the border between Iraq and Turkey because of the geography of the region.

Turkish troops have tried many times to flush out rebel activities and destroy their bases in northern Iraq's rugged, mountainous areas but failed, Abdallah said.

'Any military operation of Turkish troops against PKK rebels would take place in the territories of the province of Kurdistan, which is recognized in the Iraqi constitution as a federal province with its own sovereignty and particularity within Iraq,' he said.

Thus, any security deal with Turkey should be approved by the province's government, Abdallah concluded.

Direct talks between Turkey and its own rebel group is the only way to resolve the issue of their presence in northern Iraq, Abdallah said.

Iraq's virtually independent Kurdish region is causing unease in Ankara as this would have an effect on the aspirations of its own restive Kurdish minority.

Iraq's Kurds reject Baghdad's security deal with Turkey - Middle East

Kuwait, Saudi told to write off Iraq debts

PARIS (Reuters)
Saudi Arabia and Kuwait must make an effort to cancel some of the debt owed to them by Iraq, Xavier Musca, chairman of the Paris Club of official creditors said in an interview.In 2004, the Paris Club of official creditors, a group of 19 nations, wrote off $100 billion or 80 per cent of Iraqi debt owed to its members that was mostly accrued during the era of Saddam Hussein.

When a country receives a debt deal from the Paris Club, the condition is that it must also seek a similar deal with its other creditors. The club wants Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, two of Iraq’s largest creditors, to offer similar terms but neither country is part of the group, highlighting the problem the 19-members have in forcing non-members to comply.

“Saudi Arabia and Kuwait still haven’t offered to Iraq a debt treatment comparable to the one provided by the Paris Club in 2004,” Musca said.

“They are very big creditors of Iraq. It’s not very good that the countries that are geographically close to Iraq do not participate in the debt relief provided to that country.” Iraqi officials have estimated the country’s remaining debt at more than $50 billion.

It is said to owe Saudi Arabia more than $17 billion but no immediate relief has been offered while Kuwait is owed about $15 billion. Some Kuwaiti parliamentarians have said their oil-exporting neighbour should pay back its debt. All three countries are member of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

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