First round of Erbil-Baghdad oil talks ends in impasse
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The first of ongoing meetings between top Kurdish and Iraqi officials over the distribution of oil revenue has ended without results, with leaders now gathered for a second session.
The high-level discussion was aimed at resolving the longstanding dispute over the daily export of 550,000 barrels oil from the Kurdistan region and Kirkuk oilfields via a pipeline to the Ceyhan port of Turkey.
Baghdad has for years said the revenue should go to Iraqi central government, which would then transfer 17 percent of the profits to the Kurdistan Regional Government.
This agreement was ratified by both parties on December and was meant to be enacted this year. The central government, however, has yet to deliver on the revenue.
According to a Rudaw reporter, the first meeting ended without meaningful results.
The reporter said Kurdish Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani and his Iraqi counterpart Haider al-Abadi have now started a second round of talks to the resolve this simmering issue between Erbil and Baghdad.
In the meeting, Premier Barzani reportedly suggested that Baghdad stop using a daily calculation of Kurdish oil exports, and instead quantify the amount every three months. Barzani pointed to Iraq’s economic issues as a potential hurdle to the talks.
"The central government has a financial crisis," Barzani told Rudaw
The Kurdish delegation consists of Barzan, Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, Natural Resources Minister Ashti Hewrami and Rebaz Hamlan, finance minister.
The central government was represented by Abbadi, Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Roj Nuri Shaways, Finance Minister Hoshiyar Zebari, and Oil Minister Adil Abdul- Mahdi
The high-level discussion was aimed at resolving the longstanding dispute over the daily export of 550,000 barrels oil from the Kurdistan region and Kirkuk oilfields via a pipeline to the Ceyhan port of Turkey.
Baghdad has for years said the revenue should go to Iraqi central government, which would then transfer 17 percent of the profits to the Kurdistan Regional Government.
This agreement was ratified by both parties on December and was meant to be enacted this year. The central government, however, has yet to deliver on the revenue.
According to a Rudaw reporter, the first meeting ended without meaningful results.
The reporter said Kurdish Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani and his Iraqi counterpart Haider al-Abadi have now started a second round of talks to the resolve this simmering issue between Erbil and Baghdad.
In the meeting, Premier Barzani reportedly suggested that Baghdad stop using a daily calculation of Kurdish oil exports, and instead quantify the amount every three months. Barzani pointed to Iraq’s economic issues as a potential hurdle to the talks.
"The central government has a financial crisis," Barzani told Rudaw
The Kurdish delegation consists of Barzan, Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, Natural Resources Minister Ashti Hewrami and Rebaz Hamlan, finance minister.
The central government was represented by Abbadi, Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Roj Nuri Shaways, Finance Minister Hoshiyar Zebari, and Oil Minister Adil Abdul- Mahdi