US ambassador calls for dialogue to solve Iraq-KRG oil, gas dispute

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The outgoing US ambassador to Iraq on Sunday called on both the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Iraqi government to partake in dialogue and resolve the current oil and gas disputes, during a round table discussion with local press where numerous topics were discussed. 

An ultimate resolution to the dispute "lies in a dialogue between both sides, and taking that dialogue towards a legislative solution, a law that will clearly meet the needs of the constitution of how Iraq's energy resources should be managed and how revenues are shared," ambassador Matthew Tueller told Rudaw's Bestoon Khalid during the meeting. 

Touching upon the origins of the issue, Tueller said the ongoing dispute derives from the failure of implementing hydrocarbons and revenue-sharing laws when the Iraqi constitution was drafted, which pushed the Kurdistan Region to pass and implement its own law.

The ambassador blamed both governments for taking advantage of the state's weakness, claiming they are exploiting the caretaker government’s inability to advance its own political agenda.

Earlier on Sunday, Iraq's Federal Supreme Court responded to an inquiry by President Barham Salih about the authority of the caretaker government in enacting decisions, essentially saying it lacks the ability to make long-term significant decisions on the country's future and is unable to appoint senior state positions.

Tueller also addressed the recent allegations by Iraq's state-run North Oil Company (NOC) claiming that the KRG used armed forces to seize two Kirkuk oil fields, stating that solution lied in forming an Iraqi government including Kurdish parties. This would enable legal forces to solve the issue as opposed to political parties acting within their own interests.
 
- "KRG can be a model to the rest of Iraq" –
 
Ambassador Tueller emphasized that the US does not view the domination of the Kurdistan Region by two political parties as "threatening," saying "if managed properly, it can be a feature where the Kurdish region can be a model to the rest of Iraq."

The presence of an autonomous region in Iraq adds to the country's strengths and does not make it weaker, according to the ambassador, who said that the Kurdistan Region brings tremendous potential to the Iraqi state, which can be gained from cooperation rather than confrontation.

He moreover expressed interest in the upcoming KRG elections, calling on the government to hold fair and free elections and saying that the competition between ruling parties Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) is not threatening or unhealthy, instead having the potential to become a role-model for the rest of the country.

On the topic of KDP and PUK, Tueller mentioned the violent era that gripped the two parties in the 1990s, strongly emphasizing that "we never ever want to see that reoccur."
 
 - US will not leave Iraq –
 
The ambassador reiterated that the US has no interest in exiting Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, saying the country has long-established interests in the region and that repeated attacks by Iran-backed militias will not make it exit Iraq.

With the new US consulate general building under construction in Erbil being Washington’s largest consulate in the world, the ambassador called it a "demonstration of the fact that the US views this as a relationship that is long-term and strategic.

"We're not going anywhere. We want to be here working alongside our Iraqi and Kurdish partners to build a better future for the Iraqi people."