Top Iraqi court set to rule on Kurdistan's oil exports

Iraq’s top court will begin hearings in May on the legality of oil exports from Kurdistan, which are at the center of a row between the Kurdistan Region Government and Baghdad's Federal Government, Reuters reported on Tuesday.

The oil dispute is the main hurdle to normalising relations between the Federal Government and the KRG of northern Iraq which conducted a referendum on independence despite Baghdad’s opposition.

The Supreme Federal Court said in a statement it has asked to hear the opinions of officials including the Federal government’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, Oil Minister Jabbar al-Luaibi and Finance Minister, in addition to the KRG’s prime minister, on May 6.

Iraqi oil minister Jabar al-Luaibi had asked the court to issue a ruling that bans independent oil exports from the KRG, which started in 2014, through a pipeline across Turkey.

The KRG says the Iraqi Constitution recognises the legality of its existence and contains no article specifically forbidding it from developing oil resources on its territory.

International energy firms including Exxon Mobil, DNO, Dana Gas, Rosneft and Genel are among companies with agreements with the KRG to operate in the Kurdistan region.

Article Credit: www.thebaghdadpost.com (Special Thanks to Charles Bright)