Kurds sign oil deals beyond regional borders – former minister

Azzaman
Iraqi Kurds’ oil contracts with foreign firms are not only illegal but even cover portion of territory officially outside the borders of their semi-independent enclave, a former oil minister said. Isam al-Jalabi, who held the oil portfolio under the former regime of Saddam Hussein, said the latest deal the Kurds struck with Texas-based Hunt Oil Company gives it the right to explore and dig wells in areas which are under the jurisdiction of the Province of Nineveh. The Kurdish enclave now includes the provinces of Dahouk, Sulaimaniya and Arbil. The Kurds are trying to add the Province of Taameem of which the oil-rich city of Kirkuk is the capital....
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