Sunday, October 08, 2006

Rice in Kurdistan / oil

"Convinced oil revenue is the long-term key to economic independence for a unified Iraq, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice appealed today for cooperation from the autonomous and oil rich Kurdish north.
Rice visited the region's powerful president, Massoud Barzani, less than two weeks after the regional government threatened to break away from Iraq in a dispute over oil.
. . . When he was asked about the future distribution of oil wealth, Barzani did not repeat recent assertions that Kurdistan alone should control new contracts and business arrangements for oil pumped in the region. But at the same time, he gave no endorsement of proposed national legislation on dividing up income from oil.
. . . The U.S. and other international backers want quick action on a law that would streamline the complicated oil sector, attract foreign investment and provide for equitable distribution of oil profits across Iraq." [1]

"SECRETARY RICE: We believe that oil has to be a resource for the Iraqi people as a whole and it has to benefit the Iraqi people as a whole. The relationship between the regions, the localities and the center on how exploration is done, how decisions are made, I think that's what the hydrocarbon law has to address.
But our only view, which we've communicated to the Iraqis and which I think most Iraqis agree, is that oil needs to be a unifying factor and not one that will help to make the country less unified." [2]

"QUESTION: President Barzani, there is a lot of talk on the street in Kurdistan about secession from Iraq. I wonder what is your judgment about the level of interest in that idea. Do you share that sentiment perhaps yourself?
Also I wanted to know your views on the new oil exploration in Kurdistan. Should that revenue, do you think, remain in Kurdistan or should it go to the Iraqi treasury?
Also, Madame Secretary, I wonder if I could, did you reach any agreement with the President on how the PKK should be handled by Kurdish authorities or by the Iraqi army?
. . . PRESIDENT BARZANI: Sir, Kurds, like any other nation, they have the right to self-determination. This is a natural right. But the parliament in Kurdistan has adopted within the framework of a federal democratic Iraq a federal system.
As for the revenues of oil, as it has been stipulated in the constitution with that, we are with a fair distribution of the oil revenues all over Iraq.
SECRETARY RICE: Thank you. And as to the PKK, one of the points that I made to President Barzani is that we have made some progress on the PKK issue in the recent months. General Ralston, who is a special envoy on behalf of the United States, has been working on this issue. Everyone needs to play a role: the Kurds need to play a role, the Iraqis need to play a role and the Turks need to play a role.
And I am just very pleased that there has been a shutdown of PKK offices throughout the country and I am very pleased that General Ralston will return here soon to continue the process. Iraq's territory can not be used for terrorism against any country. That is an agreement of all Iraqis. And I think we now are getting very good cooperation between Iraq, Turkey and the United States on this issue." [3]

"SECRETARY RICE: . . . But there isn't any substitute really for going to a place and having a chance to sit down face to face with Iraqi leaders. I had of course seen President Talabani and Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih when I was in New York, but sitting with Prime Minister Maliki and really getting a sense of how he wants to press his national reconciliation program forward, sitting with the Sunni leaders and hearing their concerns, but saying very clearly to all of them that what the Iraqi people expect, and indeed what the United States expects, is that they're going to overcome any political differences rapidly, have this national compact in place so that there can be an international compact to support it.

Because without that political foundation, it’s going to be very difficult to get a handle on the violence. And everybody wants to get a handle on the violence. And so I think having been there and sat face to face with these leaders, I have a very much better thought about what they are thinking and I think I’ve been able to communicate to them pretty clearly what we're thinking in the United States. It was however my first time in the north in more than a year -- I think, maybe a year and a half -- and even in that short period of time, the growth there, the construction, the planning of a new airport, is pretty remarkable. And I think it shows the potential of this entire country when the security situation is more manageable." [4]

sources
[1] The Houston Chronicle. Rice makes visit to oil-rich Kurdish north. October 6, 2006.
[2] U.S. Department of State. Briefing En Route Baghdad, Iraq. October 5, 2006.
[3] U.S. Department of State. Remarks With Massoud Barzani, President of the Kurdish Regional Government After Their Meeting. October 6, 2006.
[4] U.S. Department of State. Briefing En Route London, United Kingdom. October 6, 2006.

posted: sunday, october 8, 2006, 7:37 AM ET
update: sunday, october 8, 2006, 7:44 AM ET

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home


View My Stats