KIRKUK, Kurdistan Region – Iraq’s central government has asked London-based oil giant BP to develop oil fields in Kirkuk, raising objections by the Provincial Council, which says Baghdad’s interference in the disputed province is unconstitutional.
“For the fifth time, the Iraqi Oil Ministry has asked BP to develop Kirkuk’s oil fields,” said a source at the state-owned North Oil Company (NOC), which is part of the ministry.
Iraq’s Kurds, Arabs, Turkmen and Christians lay conflicting claims to Kirkuk, which is immensely rich in oil reserves.
Fuad Hussein, a member of the Kirkuk Provincial Council’s oil and gas committee, said the government’s request to BP violates the constitution, which grants provincial councils the right to be involved in developing their own energy reserves.
“The agreement between the Iraqi oil ministry and BP was not discussed with our council. We are not satisfied with the way the Iraqi ministry of oil is dealing with this issue,” Hussein said. “Overlooking the constitution by the Iraqi oil ministry left us no choice but to take the issue to Iraq’s Supreme Court,” he added.
BP was involved in developing oil fields in Kirkuk until 1972, when they were nationalized by the Iraqi government and taken over from Western companies.
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