Iraq's Oil Ministry has criticised the autonomous
Kurdish region for its move to sell oil independently, saying it
was a violation of the constitution and amounts to smuggling.
was a violation of the constitution and amounts to smuggling.
Friday's strongly worded statement came after Kurdish authorities
announced that its first shipment of crude oil exported directly to
Turkey had gone on sale, with more expected to follow.
It is just the latest chapter in a long-running tussle between the
federal government and the Kurdistan region over natural resources.
The three-province region's plan to sell oil it has exported to
Turkey "is considered ... an explicit violation of the requisites of the
Iraqi constitution", the Oil Ministry said in an English-language
statement.
The federal State Oil Marketing Organisation "is the exclusive, sole
official body authorised to enter into contracts for the export of
hydrocarbon resources, including crude oil and gas", the statementt
said.
Any other exports are "considered as 'smuggled crude' and in
violation of the valid laws", it said, also criticising Turkey for
facilitating the move by Kurdistan.
The Kurdish region earlier this week issued a statement giving
"public notice of the commencement of the sale of its first shipment of
crude oil exported via [the] Kurdistan region's new pipeline through
Turkey to the port of Ceyhan".
The sale of the first two million barrels of crude was expected by
the end of this month, with more to follow, the statement on the
region's website said.
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