Cabinet voting on Oil – Gas Law is not final – Maliki

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iraqi Premier Nouri al-Maliki announced today that the cabinet voting on Oil and Gas draft Law is not final, pointing out that the draft law was handed over to the Legal Commission at the parliament.   In a press conference held today with Parliament Speaker Usama Nujaifi, he added that “the cabinet amended the laws and sends them to the parliament, but this voting is not final.”   “The parliament has the right to amend or add on to the law, according to the will of political entities,” he added.   The Cabinet decided on 29 August 2011 to approve the draft law and refer it to the parliament, pointing out that this version is to be approved, and other versions are nil and void.   The Oil and Gas Law is one of the disputed points between the Federal government and Kurdistan, particularly the latter signed contracts with oil companies, that Baghdad considered them not abiding. RM (TS)/SR 585