KIRKUK, Kurdistan Region – Kurdish members of the Iraqi parliament from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), whose forces seized armed control of the state-run Iraqi North Oil Company in Kirkuk last month, have prepared a project that seeks to officially recognize the force currently stationed there, Rudaw has learned.
The project is to be discussed with Iraq’s interior ministry next week and aims at secure official recognition for the party’s Black Force.
The PUK and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), two of the main Kurdish parties, agree that a Kurdish force should continue to control the strategic state-run company.
The KDP says that the Black Force deployment to the NOC had a “temporary” nature, but they welcome any “official” Kurdish force securing oil facilities in the province.
“We’ve talked with the PUK on the stay of this force,” Mohammad Khurshid, KDP’s head in Kirkuk told Rudaw. “This was intended to be temporary. For the KDP, it is normal for any official, recognized force to protect the territory of Kurdistan or oil fields.”
PUK’s deputy head in Kirkuk said that the Black Force had been present in the province long before the March deployment, willing to defend the city when and where there was “danger.”
“This force has been in Kirkuk since there were dangers in the city and they have been trained. They have been present anywhere there is a threat,” Ghafur Ali said. “We’ve had continued presence of our forces in these oil fields to protect them. We boosted our forces when we realized there were more dangers in this area.”
Head of the security committee of Kirkuk Provincial Council indicated that the force should remain stationed there until the situation is “calm” again and ISIS-held Hawija, a Sunni Arb town controlled by the extremist group since 2014, is liberated.
The PUK deployed its Black Force to the Iraqi oil company NOC that runs several oil fields in the province in early March. It resulted in stopping oil exports for hours in an effort to force Baghdad to commit to an earlier agreement signed between the local government and Baghdad in January.
Kurdish parties in Kirkuk showed unanimous support days after the deployment for the implementation of the agreement which includes more investment in the oil sector in Kirkuk and employment opportunities for the local people.
The full text of the January agreement can be found at the end of this article.
Baghdad has not paid Kirkuk province its share of revenues from oil sold from its fields since 2013.
“Deployment of troops in Kirkuk is to show Baghdad that Kirkuk’s oil is for the people of Kirkuk,” said Aso Mamand, head of the PUK’s office in Kirkuk, the same day the force was deployed. “We have deployed troops to prevent Baghdad from exporting Kirkuk’s oil to Mosul and Baghdad. Baghdad wants to export Kirkuk’s oil for the rest of Iraq while our people are in desperate need for it.”
During a Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) visit to Baghdad in 2016, it was agreed that the oil under Baghdad’s control in Kirkuk would be exported through the Kurdistan Region and half the revenue would go to the region.
Currently, Kirkuk oil is being exported to the world market through the Ceyhan port in Turkey. Two oilfields in Kirkuk are under the control of the KRG and three are run by the NOC.
On January 10, the governors of Kirkuk, Nineveh, and Saladin met with Iraq’s minister of oil, his deputy, a deputy of the finance ministry of Iraq, and a number of other Iraqi officials from the oil ministry. They discussed and then agreed on the following points regarding meeting the oil demands of the provinces, power supply, and the issues of power plants, paying back debts, and investment. The following is the full versions of the points agreed to by all sides, described as a protocol by the Kurdish parties in their Monday press conference:
1. Allocating a certain amount of crude oil to pay back the debts of those companies who are investing in the power plants to add 250 megawatts of electricity to Kirkuk province.
2. Providing 40,000 barrels of oil to Aski Kalak refinery and increasing it in the future to make the refinery function, providing electricity to Nineveh province and Gayara power plant, the revenue of which to be allocated to the provinces of Kirkuk and Saladin.
3. Providing 20,000 barrels of oil to the Qaiwan refinery in Sulaimani province.
4. The ministry of oil with the help of the investors and a Czech company will renovate the refinery of the North Oil Company.
5. The provision of 25,000 barrels of oil from Kirkuk oil fields to the Quds power plant is to be continued.
6. Helping the Kirkuk province to begin expanding the Kirkuk oil refinery and its work with Barham company to install a new refinery.
7. Committing the investor in the Aski Kalak refinery to take into consideration the implementation of law in employing its workers from the people of Nineveh, Kirkuk, and the provinces of the Kurdistan Region.
The project is to be discussed with Iraq’s interior ministry next week and aims at secure official recognition for the party’s Black Force.
The PUK and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), two of the main Kurdish parties, agree that a Kurdish force should continue to control the strategic state-run company.
The KDP says that the Black Force deployment to the NOC had a “temporary” nature, but they welcome any “official” Kurdish force securing oil facilities in the province.
“We’ve talked with the PUK on the stay of this force,” Mohammad Khurshid, KDP’s head in Kirkuk told Rudaw. “This was intended to be temporary. For the KDP, it is normal for any official, recognized force to protect the territory of Kurdistan or oil fields.”
PUK’s deputy head in Kirkuk said that the Black Force had been present in the province long before the March deployment, willing to defend the city when and where there was “danger.”
“This force has been in Kirkuk since there were dangers in the city and they have been trained. They have been present anywhere there is a threat,” Ghafur Ali said. “We’ve had continued presence of our forces in these oil fields to protect them. We boosted our forces when we realized there were more dangers in this area.”
Head of the security committee of Kirkuk Provincial Council indicated that the force should remain stationed there until the situation is “calm” again and ISIS-held Hawija, a Sunni Arb town controlled by the extremist group since 2014, is liberated.
The PUK deployed its Black Force to the Iraqi oil company NOC that runs several oil fields in the province in early March. It resulted in stopping oil exports for hours in an effort to force Baghdad to commit to an earlier agreement signed between the local government and Baghdad in January.
Kurdish parties in Kirkuk showed unanimous support days after the deployment for the implementation of the agreement which includes more investment in the oil sector in Kirkuk and employment opportunities for the local people.
The full text of the January agreement can be found at the end of this article.
Baghdad has not paid Kirkuk province its share of revenues from oil sold from its fields since 2013.
“Deployment of troops in Kirkuk is to show Baghdad that Kirkuk’s oil is for the people of Kirkuk,” said Aso Mamand, head of the PUK’s office in Kirkuk, the same day the force was deployed. “We have deployed troops to prevent Baghdad from exporting Kirkuk’s oil to Mosul and Baghdad. Baghdad wants to export Kirkuk’s oil for the rest of Iraq while our people are in desperate need for it.”
During a Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) visit to Baghdad in 2016, it was agreed that the oil under Baghdad’s control in Kirkuk would be exported through the Kurdistan Region and half the revenue would go to the region.
Currently, Kirkuk oil is being exported to the world market through the Ceyhan port in Turkey. Two oilfields in Kirkuk are under the control of the KRG and three are run by the NOC.
On January 10, the governors of Kirkuk, Nineveh, and Saladin met with Iraq’s minister of oil, his deputy, a deputy of the finance ministry of Iraq, and a number of other Iraqi officials from the oil ministry. They discussed and then agreed on the following points regarding meeting the oil demands of the provinces, power supply, and the issues of power plants, paying back debts, and investment. The following is the full versions of the points agreed to by all sides, described as a protocol by the Kurdish parties in their Monday press conference:
1. Allocating a certain amount of crude oil to pay back the debts of those companies who are investing in the power plants to add 250 megawatts of electricity to Kirkuk province.
2. Providing 40,000 barrels of oil to Aski Kalak refinery and increasing it in the future to make the refinery function, providing electricity to Nineveh province and Gayara power plant, the revenue of which to be allocated to the provinces of Kirkuk and Saladin.
3. Providing 20,000 barrels of oil to the Qaiwan refinery in Sulaimani province.
4. The ministry of oil with the help of the investors and a Czech company will renovate the refinery of the North Oil Company.
5. The provision of 25,000 barrels of oil from Kirkuk oil fields to the Quds power plant is to be continued.
6. Helping the Kirkuk province to begin expanding the Kirkuk oil refinery and its work with Barham company to install a new refinery.
7. Committing the investor in the Aski Kalak refinery to take into consideration the implementation of law in employing its workers from the people of Nineveh, Kirkuk, and the provinces of the Kurdistan Region.
