Former CIA Chief: Kurds Need to Export 800,000 bpd to Afford Independence


ERBIL —
Former CIA Director and Commander of international forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, David Petraeus said Kurdistan Region needs to produce and export about 800,000 barrels of oil at US$105 per barrel before it declares statehood.

“I think, ultimately, they probably do have a right to an independent state and an independent people, but again they’re going to have to get a good deal,” said Petraeus in an interview with Australian Strategic Policy Institute on Friday.Petraeus believes that Kurds cannot afford to be independent for the time being, arguing that “We calculated at one point – the CIA – that they needed to export about 800,000 barrels of oil at US$105 per barrel.

They are only producing 800,000 barrels on a really good day and exporting a subset of that now in the forties per barrel.

So, they still need some of what they get from Baghdad.”He also believes that the independence process should take place peacefully.

“This has to be an amicable divorce with Iraq and a good deal with Turkey before they can risk that,” Petraeus said.

The US general believes that “Kurds will stay part of Iraq for some time longer” due to the financial status and political disputes facing the region.The retired US General David Petraeus has served as the commander of international forces in Iraq and Afghanistan and the CIA chief.

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