Who owns the oil in the region?

Dr. Yousef Mohammed
What happened yesterday morning Thursday 12/ 11/ 2020 in the Iraqi parliament, despite the bitterness, but was expected.
However, resorting to the principle of majority and minority for such an important issue related to the strength and salaries of the people, is against the principles of the federal system and coexistence of Iraqi communities and should be taken seriously.
That same night, we told the leaders of the Shiite factions that resorting to majority and minority measures on such an important issue in the House of Representatives is unacceptable. In this regard, the issue of not forming the Federal Council is one of the shortcomings of the current Iraqi constitution and system of governance. But we cannot ignore the fact that other factions in the House of Representatives are in a difficult situation. As Iraq enters an election year, every compromise will affect their future position and role.
Especially in relation to the Kurdistan Regional Government, which has never complied with the agreements it has signed with Baghdad. For example, the latest agreement with Iraqi Prime Minister Kazemi to send 320 billion dinars monthly to the region in exchange for the joint management of border crossings and the handover of half of the revenue of these crossings. That night and until the morning, many proposals were exchanged, some of which were in the interest of the Kurdish people. For example, in the last meeting held at 5 am in the presence of Mohammed Halbusi, Speaker of the House of Representatives in the former office of the Kurdistan Alliance, Shiite factions reiterated a proposal that the region export all oil through SOMO should also bear the oil.
The head of the Finance Committee of the House of Representatives had proposed that in exchange for sending 250,000 barrels per day through SOMO and half of the domestic revenue, Baghdad to send 700 billion dinars monthly to the region. All Kurdish factions, including the PKK faction, liked these proposals, but we could not make a decision, because these proposals were all conditional on the export of all or part of the oil through SOMO, which we could not guarantee.
That is why I only attended the last session mentioned above. Therefore, the main question is who owns the oil and can decide on it? Does the Kurdistan Region own its own oil or does the Turkish state, especially Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, have the final decision on the fate of the Kurdistan Region’s oil? Why do the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) authorities, especially Nechirvan Barzani and Masrour Barzani, go directly to Ankara and Istanbul whenever there is any progress in the negotiations between the Kurdistan Region and Baghdad? We must ask dozens of times what the content of the fifty-year agreement is!? Within the Kurdistan Region, the main question is who owns the oil and gas? Do the Kurdish people or the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Barzani family have the final say in the oil and gas file? For example, can the Kurdistan Regional Parliament decide to sell oil through SOMO, and if so, will it be implemented? Is there anything left called the Regional Oil and Gas Council? Why not create an oil and gas revenue fund that has been in force for five years? Why not appoint a minister of natural resources? Is it possible to have an impartial expert or from someone other than the PKK?
Lose the regional oil file? Why can’t the Kurdistan Regional Government give up Ashti Hawrami after all these failures? Why, while the Kurdistan Regional Government authorities claim to reform and eliminate illegal pensioners, Masrour Barzani illegally with all three decrees (4, 9, 12) the last of which is secret and illegal in English and not published in the official newspaper There are more ministers!? Let the unanswered questions remain about the transparency of the oil and gas extraction process and the uncertainty of its revenues. This is the main issue that the oil and gas file of the region will not be done systematically and nationally? Instead of false nationalism, let’s create a national government above party and personal interests. Do not hold the fate of the people’s salaries hostage to continue your wrong policies and personal and party interests. Iraq is going through major changes, but you are still on the same mentality.