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The Kirkuk Provincial Council says that the Baghdad-Tehran deal over Kirkuk`s oil is `unconstitutional.`
This week. Iran and Iraq reached an agreement to construct a pipeline to export crude oil from the disputed territory of Kirkuk to Iran. a move which was criticized and opposed by the province’s officials.
According to a Kurdistan 24 reporter in Kirkuk. the province’s Provincial Council voiced opposition to the signed agreement and said that the deal is against the Iraqi Constitution.
The Iraqi Constitution’s Article 112 states “the federal government. with the producing regional and governorate governments. shall together formulate the necessary strategic policies to develop the oil and gas.“
Fuad Hussein. a member of the Kirkuk Provincial Council`s Energy Committee. told Kurdistan 24 that any agreement related to the city’s oil has to be discussed with and agreed by the local administration otherwise it is unconstitutional.
The state-owned Iranian news agency IRNA reported the Iraqi Oil Minister and his Iranian counterpart in meetings in Tehran discussed transferring oil from Kirkuk to Iranian refineries for processing and returning the byproduct to Iraq.
He argues the Iraqi government could have built a refinery in Kirkuk instead of transferring crude oil to Iran. stating that since 2007. the local administration has been calling on the Iraqi government to develop the industry in Kirkuk and build a refinery there. reducing costs for the government.
A Kurdish MP in the Iraqi Parliament told Kurdistan 24 that efforts have been made by the Kurdish representatives in Baghdad to summon the Oil Minister to Parliament over the oil deal with Iran.
