Q&A: Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Hussain al-Shahristani

Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Hussain al-Shahristani. (KAMARAN NAJM/Metrography/Iraq Oil Report) By Staff of Iraq Oil Report Published Thursday, February 13th, 2014As Iraq's political and security crises escalate ahead of national elections, Hussain al-Shahristani has played a central role in shaping the government's strategy.As the Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Affairs, he is leading negotiations with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) over oil policy. And over the past year, as conflicts in Iraq's Sunni-majority provinces have intensified, Shahristani has made attempts to address grievances and convince the country's largest minority populat... The question we must now ask ourselves is why Sharistani is trying to hinder XOM now. They sold part of their stake in southern Iraq a while back and Bagdad was happy. What has he just found out about Exxon that has again got him spouting about more measures. He knew already about their oilfields and intention to drill. Must be something bigger.. like building new pipelines for Turkey and the Kurds, or the BIR's. Kurdistan needs more export pipelines to get enough oil out to break free from Bagdad. Highly encouraging response from Sharistani. kurdish blogger ‏@kurdishblogger 12m Hussain al-Shahristani: Iraq is considering additional measures against Exxon Mobil over deals with Kurdistan http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-02-12/iraq-considers-more-actions-against-exxon-for-kurd-oil-venture … Yerevan Saeed ‏@Yerevan80 11m @kurdishblogger Most it can do is to kick out XOM from WQ, something XOM, for long, has been trying to do! == INV 48 Hello Everyone, More threats again from Shahristani.I must have heard umpteenth times threats from Shahristani and that has never stopped more oil companies from coming to explore for oil in Kurdistan and a 300K barrels per day oil pipeline to Turkey. Recently we heard the Oil Minister Luilabi threatening to sue Turkey if it goes ahead with oil exports with Kurdistan. This threat on ExxonMobil,have we not seen this before many times in early 2012?Nothing has been mentioned on the massive waterflood project that ExxonMobil was to embark on to enhance the oil production at West Qurna. We have also seen threats to sue Genel.However we have never seen Baghdad trying to sue the KRG for awarding all these "illegal" contracts over the last 8 years to more than 40 oil companies? Why has baghdad not sue the KRG from awarding these contracts,the root cause of all these problems that Erbil and Baghdad are having now?IMHO,if ever Bahgdad had sued the KRG on these PSC's,if the suit was ever serious it will not be heard in Erbil or Baghdad but a neutral place like Hague,London,etc,etc and if a judgement were to be awarded to the KRG,this will make Baghdad a toothless tiger not that it is not one now! It is politics and that is the only reason behind these threats.Iraq is so sectarian today that one has to be seen to be more than a Shia,if one is a Shia seeking re election.It is a fail state and unless there are serious changes to the next Iraqi Government,it will inevitably lead to a break up of Iraq and this time around the US cannot exert it's influence on the will of the Iraqi people. Corruption is the norm and money politics will be used to try to get some Sunnis to support Maliki and Shahristani in the eleventh hour.But with the big mess in Anbar Province,I do hope that this time around the Sunnis MP's will be under scrutiny by their own Sunnis if they endeavour to support Maliki and Shahristani because of money politics. Pathetic is the SP and it tests ones endurance,conviction,and steadfastness. Till my next post,good luck and best wishes to all. == Barney71255 10 View Author's profileAdd to favouritesIgnoreAuthor's posts Plenty of excellent views about Shahristani's spitting out the dummy and its reasons. So why do people at this low price trigger sale statements when now is probably the biggest opportunity when the speculation should be re-ignited of a Exxon-GKP-Shaikan linkage (farm-in, BIR's, unitisation, full takeover, pipeline or heavy oil project support, etc, etc) and for Exxon to take West Qurna risks (again) it must be a high value game changer for them so its nationally significant? Its taken the KRG three careful weeks to consider and then respond to the ICG. It must be more than a coincidence that on the same day Shahristani notes this KRG response with his SOMO related statements, there's something else in the KRG contents not disclosed that has ticked him off big time. And its more than just coming home and kicking the dog because you can't do anything else. The country needs the infighting to stop, the Kurd oil flowing to get going and the budget to be passed and Shahristani probably realises he got SOMO but nothing else. He now sees projections of what the Kurds will or can do (with Exxon support) and his strategic plans for the south will be looked on as a failure, West Qurna as well. = 10:31 Sadr Party Reaction to failed mtg Barney71255 View Author's profileAdd to favouritesIgnoreAuthor's posts Sadr bloc talking about resorting to the Federal Court to resolve the problem of the budget and the export of oil from Kurdistan WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2014 12:36 Twilight News / likely head of the Liberal parliamentary Bahaa al-Araji, on Thursday, asylum federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government to the Federal Court to resolve the problem of the general budget for the current year, and the export of oil. 1016756_630769413657658_1192373387_n.jpgThis statement comes after the failure of the parliamentary blocs in the House of Representatives over the meeting held this morning Speaker Osama Najafi to the results and solutions to the differences existing between the two governments and the federal region of Kurdistan, the region's share of the budget and the right to export oil through its territory. A statement issued by the Office Araji obtained "Twilight News", a copy of which the latter attended a meeting of heads of parliamentary blocs with deputy ministers and ministers of finance, oil, central bank governor, who called him the presidency of the Council of Representatives to discuss the budget law for 2014 to resolve differences between the federal government and the region. The statement quoted al-Araji, saying that these differences arise every year when discussing the issue of the budget has not been resolved, "noting that the reason for this is that it is always looking for compromise solutions, while such differences must be the Constitution is the ruler. He explained that the Constitution had been between that and clearly and explicitly when the difference between the exploration and extraction As Marketing (SOMO) is the prerogative of the federal government exclusively There is nothing wrong that there is a difference in Kurdistan to deposit all processor sales in the accounts of Sumer. Araji said that this problem should be solved radically Just as representatives requested the government to give them a chance to next week's meeting between the federal government and the region, pointing out that in case they could not agreeing therefore it must be referred all disputes to the Federal Court and determined by the court should be binding on all parties . The head of the House of Representatives Osama Najafi has expressed, earlier this month, his willingness to play a mediating role to resolve disputes and outstanding issues between the Kurdistan Regional Government, and the federal government. And entered into Kurdistan last year agreements with Turkey to export Kurdish oil through a new pipeline to Imitdd Turkish port of Ceyhan on the Mediterranean to sell in global markets. This development has raised the wrath of officials in Baghdad, who assert that the federal government is the only owner the right to manage Iraq's energy resources. Under a clause in the budget to deduct part of the Kurdistan share of the budget if you do not abide by the export of 400 thousand barrels of oil per day via the export of Iraqi oil "Sumo" state-owned. J p Read more: http://dinarvets.com/forums/index.php?/topic/172287-sadr-bloc-talking-about-resorting-to-the-federal-court-to-resolve-the-problem-of-the-budget-and-the-export-of-oil-from-kurdistan/#ixzz2tCGP8x4I More View thread ======================