The Parliamentary Oil and Gas Committee confirmed on Friday that there are differences over the management of resources, which led to obstructing the passage of the oil and gas law, while ruling out its passage in the current electoral cycle.
A member of the Parliamentary Oil and Gas Committee, Namem Ngmesh Al-Gharibawi, said in an interview with the Iraqi News Agency followed by “Economy News”, that “the oil and gas law has been a requirement since 2007, but attempts to legislate it failed due to political differences and incompatibility with the Kurdistan Region.” He explained that “the law was part of the current ministerial platform, and was supposed to be legisted during this parliamentary session, where committees were formed since 2023 to discuss it, and two drafts were put forward: the first from the federal government and the second from the region,
and joint committees were formed to hold meetings between the two parties.” He pointed out that “most of the technical issues were consensus, but the differences focused on administrative aspects, powers, and the representation of the region and governorates in the Federal Oil Council, in addition to how to manage and distribute resources, as well as past and current rights.”
He pointed out that “the Parliamentary Oil Committee conducted intensive moves with the leaders of the political blocs to clarify the importance of legislating the law, as it regulates the oil wealth that fully finances the state, and contributes to resolving the differences between the federal government and the region, which contributes to achieving political and economic stability.” He added that “the most prominent point in the dispute between Baghdad and Erbil is related to oil resources and the region’s commitment to the decisions issued by the Federal Court and the International Court,” pointing out that “this law is one of the laws that complement the Constitution.” Despite all attempts, Al-Gharibawi stressed that “the committees formed were unable to reach a political consensus, which makes the passage of the law during this electoral cycle unexpected.”
