Al-Salami: The government must take urgent action regarding the oil agreements between the region and Washington.

  Al-Salami: The government must take urgent action regarding the oil agreements between the region and Washington.

MP Haider Al-Salami called on the federal government on Sunday to take urgent action regarding the agreements concluded by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) with American companies related to the investment of natural resources.

Al-Salami told Al-Maalouma that “Iraq’s natural resources represent a right for all components and spectrums of the Iraqi people, and their investment and extraction are the exclusive prerogative of the federal government.” He explained that “the KRG’s signing of agreements with American companies to invest in oil and gas fields represents a clear violation of the constitution and the Federal Court’s ruling, which affirmed that oil and gas belong to the Iraqi people, and that the management of this sector is the sole responsibility of the federal government.”

He added, “Baghdad must not be satisfied with rejectionist statements, but must take real steps to reconsider its dealings with the KRG and send clear messages to the concerned countries that the Kurdistan Region is part of the Iraqi state and not an independent entity.”

Al-Salami pointed out that "this issue must be taken seriously into consideration, because natural resources belong to all Iraqis, regardless of their ethnicity, sect, or religion, and they must not be invested unilaterally by the region without consulting the federal government."

It is noteworthy that the agreements concluded by the regional government with some American companies in the field of oil and gas investment have sparked widespread political and popular controversy, as they are considered a violation of the constitution and a Federal Court ruling.  link