Govt. rejects oil contracts signed by Kurdistan region – minister

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iraqi Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahrestani on Saturday renewed the central government’s refusal of oil contracts signed by the Iraqi Kurdistan region, adding the firms that signed contracts with the region will be held responsible legally. “These contracts are illegal and the firms that signed them with the Kurdistan region will be held responsible legally,” Shahrestani told IraqiNews.com news agency. He said the powers given to the region do not allow it to handle the people’s wealth away from the central government. “There has to be an agreement on unifying the oil exported from the region via the Turkish pipeline of Ceyhan through which the government exports crude oil to European countries,” said the minister. Meanwhile, Shahrestani said that some political blocs refuse the re-establishment of the National Oil Company and link their approval to endorsing the draft law on oil & gas. AmR (P) 1