Masud Barzani reported to have no knowledge of KRG oil contracts

Written on September 19, 2011 by Editor in KRG, Oil

Update 20th September: Following a prolonged campaign for transparency, explained below, the KRG has today finally put PSC contracts into the public domain

According to a report of the meeting that took place in Hawler last Tuesday between the President of Kurdistan, Masud Barzani, and Kurdish representatives in the Iraqi parliament, the president declared that he had no detailed knowledge of the oil contracts between the KRG (Kurdistan Regional Government) and foreign oil companies.

The meeting of Kurdish representative from all Kurdish political parties and Masud Barzani discussed recent tensions between the Iraqi government and the KRG, which is mainly concentrated on the KRG’s 13 oil and two gas contracts.

Bayazid Hassan, a Kurdish MP on the Gorran list, told Barzani that: “The oil minister in Baghdad has said that if the KRG will not send the details of these contracts to Baghdad, it should still be able to send them to the Kurdistan parliament in Arbil”. Eight months ago MPs in the Kurdistan parliament asked for this information but they still have had no satisfactory response from the KRG. The KRG Minister for Natural Resources, Ashti Hawramy, was present at that meeting and he later complained about an MP who accused him of a lack of transparency.

At last Tuesday’s meeting the President of Kurdistan seemed keen to steer the discussion away from the issue of oil contracts.

This report is based on information provided by an MP who was present at the meeting but wishes to remain anonymous.