Postponement of the lawsuit to extract the Kurdistan region oil and export it to the seventh of next month

[new york kevin]

NYK

[sandfly]

Any day now 

[wildeman]

Thanks Yota ... someday

[yota691]

Parliamentary Energy confirms the absence of any new oil deal between Baghdad and Arbil.

 

 

Economy News / News quoting a direction ...   Denied parliamentary energy committee member Zahir al-Abadi said there was no new agreement on oil between Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, and Masoud Barzani, and that what is being talked about today is a former oil agreement. Abadi In an interview with "direction Press" and I followed the economy News he did not hear any new agreement on oil View between Baghdad and Arbil, unlike the previous agreement, which was passed in the general budget and the committee formed to follow up the process, noting that the use of amounts of private oil filtered in the Kirkuk oilfields and the Department of including electric power, something has been agreed upon by the committee headed by Haider al-Abadi, which membership, Minister of oil, Electricity and agents of the Ministry of Finance as well as the governors of Kirkuk and Nineveh and Sulaymaniyah, which is being done now by the company, "Carr oil" and the other for the liquidation of the product for $ 10 a barrel the one . He added that this process speeds up to deliver petroleum products to the liberated areas to consider the absence of the possibility to import products because of the financial crisis, pointing out that what is happening today is the conflict between private companies and political parties for financial gain. It is said that he had previously been agreed between Baghdad and Erbil to export sufficient quantities of Kirkuk's oil, amounting to 250,000 barrels per day with the allocated quantity of Kurdistan, which amounted to 200,000 barrels per day and this is done through the SOMO.
Views 9   Date Added 03/09/2017 - 11:46   Last updated 09/03/2017 - 12:20   No. Content 6868

[yota691]

Original Article from the above article, Quoting this Article from this News Source...

Parliamentary Energy: There are no new oil agreement between Abadi and Barzani

09/03/2017 10:56 | Number of Views: 1171

  

Direction Press / special

Denied parliamentary energy committee member Zahir al-Abadi, said Thursday that there is no new agreement on oil between Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, and Masoud Barzani, and that what is being talked about today is a former oil agreement.

Abadi In an interview with "direction Press" he did not hear any new agreement on oil View between Baghdad and Arbil, unlike the previous agreement, which was passed in the general budget and the committee formed to follow up the process, noting that the use of amounts of private oil filtered in the Kirkuk oilfields and some of them electric power which is agreed upon by the committee headed by Haider al-Abadi, which membership, Minister of oil, Electricity and agents of the Ministry of Finance as well as the governors of Kirkuk and Nineveh and Sulaymaniyah, which is being done now by the company, "Carr oil" and the other for the liquidation of the product for $ 10 per barrel.

He added that this process speeds up to deliver petroleum products to the liberated areas to consider the absence of the possibility to import products because of the financial crisis, pointing out that what is happening today is the conflict between private companies and political parties for financial gain.

It is said that he had previously been agreed between Baghdad and Erbil to export sufficient quantities of Kirkuk's oil, amounting to 250,000 barrels per day with the allocated quantity of Kurdistan, which amounted to 200,000 barrels per day and this is done through the SOMO.

[yota691]

Kurds agree with Baghdad on Kirkuk oil pumping

 

8:03:01 03.09.2017 | (Voice of Iraq) - revealed first deputy secretary general of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, Rasool, for reaching an agreement with the federal government in Baghdad over Kirkuk province 's oil exports. 

The news agency Reuters, for Rasool, on Wednesday , March 8 , 2017, he reached an agreement with the Prime Minister of the Federal Haider al - Abadi, a continuation of pumping crude oil from Kirkuk through a pipeline runs to the Turkish port of Ceyhan on the Mediterranean. 

He said the messenger, that the agreement with al - Abadi was during a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan in Sulaimaniya, in the framework of the visit to the al - Abadi Sulaimaniya on Tuesday. 

The pipeline transported 150 thousand barrels per day of Kirkuk 's oil to world markets via the port of Ceyhan in Turkey. 

The Aso Mamend Kirkuk , the center of the organizations of the Patriotic Union official had awarded last Thursday, the Iraqi federal government a week a deadline for the implementation of several demands , the most important of the establishment of an oil refinery in the city. 

Reuters quoted a source familiar with Kurdish political bureau of the Patriotic Union of talks with al - Abadi, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan withdraw his threat to shut down the pipeline after the Iraqi government decided to increase the production capacity of the refinery Kirkuk. 

This was confirmed by Rasool also told Reuters, where he said " the agreement ended the problem is no longer there a deadline." To close the pipeline. He gave no further details. 

The Ministry of Oil in Baghdad on Wednesday that the additional processing unit with a capacity of ten thousand barrels per day , began working for the rising production capacity of the refinery to 40 thousand barrels per day. 

In turn , said a member of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan in the House of Representatives bloc, Mohammed Othman, in an interview for Doaڕۆژ, the House of Representatives for the province of Kirkuk stress the need to take the two governments, the federal and Kurdistan, the demands of the people of Kirkuk into consideration, noting that everyone will benefit from the Kirkuk oil except for her sons . 

The MP Osman on the necessity of implementing the agreement signed between the Ministry of Oil and the governorates (Kirkuk, Nineveh, Salahuddin), containing seven items, stressing that Kirkuk deputies want to implement all the items, and do not accept the application of some of them and ignore the other. 

[10 YEARS LATER]

20 hours ago, steveh12 said:

I'm So Confused!! 

It's just the way Iraq wants it - as long as that " compass needle " continues to spin wildly out of control, that's fine by them.

[yota691]

Oil: the unit is turned new oil refinery in Kirkuk

 

 

9/3/2017 0:00   BAGHDAD / Hussein Tgb  Resume national efforts managed local expertise to run a new refining unit in the refinery of Kirkuk to be a new supporter of the requirements of the local market from various petroleum products, also represents this step a new success for the competencies of operating in the oil sector in light of efforts to establish a new unit at the refinery same.  Oil Minister Ali Jabbar Luaibi has announced the success of the technical and engineering staff in the North Refineries and actors have chock company of other oil companies in the completion and operation of the new unit refining 10 thousand barrels per day refinery in Kirkuk.  The oil minister said in a telegram submitted to Prime Minister D.haidar Abadi: to achieve this feat by the National Angels With security and economic challenges is an important step in refining to add energy and new to the refinery in Kirkuk to rise to 40,000 barrels per day , which contributes to cover an important part of the need to maintain and citizens of petroleum products, especially kerosene and gas oil, as well as black oil to meet the needs of asphalt plants and cement, bricks and other industrial projects both in the public sector Ooacial.  And hit oil facility in the areas that have suffered from control "Daesh" terrorist operations to sabotage the wide affected all its facilities due to the terrorist organization subversive policy.  He added that the ministry is seeking to add another refining unit of the refinery Kirkuk 10 thousand barrels per day before the end of this year.  Oil Minister and added that technical and engineering staff in the South Gas Company and oil projects and those chock has successfully completed the processing and run Najibiyah power station in Basra province , fuel gas and the addition of new generating capacity to the national system of up to 100 MW rate, noting that the ministry has completed the earlier and a record time electricity Shatt al - Arab station is equipped with fuel gas and start pilot operation of this station. As well as  processing plants and Hartha Hartha investment creek and Rumaila and other fuel gas.  Competent in economic affairs Ahmed costly pointed out that the expansion of the production of oil derivatives department in Iraq working to achieve significant economic feasibility of the nation, through the provision of funds to be allocated to import them from outside the country as well as the resulting new business opportunities for a large segment of young people who represent the labor - capital specialized in this regard and unskilled that employ skilled in different works within these projects.  He noted that the empowerment of local expertise and develop continuously is extremely important and achieves expended for the country by undermining spending, where the adoption of specialized affairs oil global expertise process that requires large amounts of money flying out of the roof of the costs to large limits  The Petro Jayna company operating in the oil company fields Missan showed the importance of empowering the global capacity in the Iraqi oil Shan to take over all aspects of the administration in the oil fields as this has a significant economic feasibility of Iraq and its oil company as reduce costs.  The specialist in economic affairs Hasan Ali Abdul Karim has pointed out that the Orbiter and the presence of Iraqi oil expertise finds operates large oil facilities in the world 's most important oil regions in Norway and the Arabian Gulf, from here we can conclude that the Iraqi capabilities able to develop Kablyatea and mastery of advanced technology , which witnessed the oil industry , which has become the field shorten the time and effort to reach the targets.  He stressed the need to create advanced centers in southern and northern Iraq , is concerned with the development of the Iraqi experience and be under the supervision of international experts and funded by oil companies operating in Iraq and by deducting a percentage of social benefits allocations for this important purpose.

 

[Wiljor]

IRAQ OIL MINISTRY UNAWARE OF ANY DEAL BETWEEN PUK AND ABADI ON KIRKUK

Iraq, March 11, 2017 The Iraqi Oil Ministry says it is not aware of any agreement between Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan to end disputes over oil production and exports from Kirkuk fields, a day after the PUK stated it had reached such a deal during the premier’s visit to Sulaimani.   The PUK deputy chief Kosrat Rasul said on Wednesday that his party had reached an agreement with the Iraqi PM Abadi to end a dispute over the size of oil extraction and export days after an armed force from his party seized the complex of the North Oil Company (NOC) in Kirkuk. 'The agreement ended the problem and there is no deadline anymore' to shut the pipeline, Kosrat Rasul Ali, PUK deputy secretary general was quoted as saying by Reuters, giving no further details. However, Asim Jihad, spokesperson of the Iraqi oil ministry told Rudaw that they were not aware of any deal brokered between the PUK and Baghdad. Jihad added that “the oil ministry has tried to set up a refinery in Kirkuk, but due to the city’s security and political situation, no company was ready to go to Kirkuk.” He also said they have added a processing unit to Kirkuk’s oil refinery which increases its capacity by 10,000 barrels a day, perhaps as a response to a key demand from the PUK, other Kurdish parties in the city, and the local government in Kirkuk. NOC is a state company under Iraq’s Ministry of Oil. It operates in oil and gas production in Kirkuk, Nineveh, Erbil, Baghdad, and Diyala provinces as well as in parts of Hilla and Kut. According to an agreement between Erbil and Baghdad signed in August 2016 between KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani and Iraqi Premier Abadi, the KRG sells half of the oil being exported from the North Oil Company to Turkey’s Ceyhan Port and Baghdad sells a similar proportion. The NOC produces 160,000 barrels of oil per day, transferring 20,000 to Dora refinery to provide fuel to Qudis Power Station and 30,000 barrels for domestic needs.   The remaining 110,000 is being sold by the KRG and Baghdad on an equal basis. However, to show commitment to an OPEC accord to reduce oil exports, Baghdad sends 40,000 bpd on a daily basis to Kalak refinery to supply fuel to the Iraqi security forces currently fighting ISIS in west Mosul.  Currently, Kirkuk oil is being exported to the world market through the Ceyhan port in Turkey. Two oil fields in Kirkuk are under the control of the KRG and three are run by the NOC. rudaw http://iraqdailyjournal.com/story-z14931644

[ChuckFinley]

I will be interesting to see what  Adam has to say in his Chat today about this and what he is hearing.

[yota691]

The acres are Kurdish visiting Baghdad soon

History of edits:: 03/10/2017 17:22 • 137 visits readable

{Baghdad: Euphrates News} According to Kurdish sources, on Friday, that the two delegations, one political and the other government, will visit Baghdad to discuss outstanding issues.

The head of the Kurdistan Islamic Union bloc House of Representatives, Muthana Amin, in a press statement, "on the Kurds to unite their word before traveling and discuss these issues with Baghdad, if the policy in Sulaymaniyah different from politics in Arbil, you will not obtained the Kurds on any gains." 
The head of Zora Haider al - Abadi, visited Erbil on Tuesday and met with Kurdish regional president Massoud Barzani, also he traveled to Sulaimaniyah and met with the President of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan Jalal Talabani and discussed with them the political situation and outstanding issues, was underlined unifying speech Alssayas.anthy

[Wiljor]

5 hours ago, ChuckFinley said:

I will be interesting to see what  Adam has to say in his Chat today about this and what he is hearing.

Ooops, think I missed that. Is their a chat today Chuck?

[tigergorzow]

5 hours ago, ChuckFinley said:

I will be interesting to see what  Adam has to say in his Chat today about this and what he is hearing.

CF,  What time is the VIP chat today?

[ChuckFinley]

6 hours ago, Wiljor said:

IRAQ OIL MINISTRY UNAWARE OF ANY DEAL BETWEEN PUK AND ABADI ON KIRKUK

Iraq, March 11, 2017 The Iraqi Oil Ministry says it is not aware of any agreement between Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan to end disputes over oil production and exports from Kirkuk fields, a day after the PUK stated it had reached such a deal during the premier’s visit to Sulaimani.   The PUK deputy chief Kosrat Rasul said on Wednesday that his party had reached an agreement with the Iraqi PM Abadi to end a dispute over the size of oil extraction and export days after an armed force from his party seized the complex of the North Oil Company (NOC) in Kirkuk. 'The agreement ended the problem and there is no deadline anymore' to shut the pipeline, Kosrat Rasul Ali, PUK deputy secretary general was quoted as saying by Reuters, giving no further details. However, Asim Jihad, spokesperson of the Iraqi oil ministry told Rudaw that they were not aware of any deal brokered between the PUK and Baghdad. Jihad added that “the oil ministry has tried to set up a refinery in Kirkuk, but due to the city’s security and political situation, no company was ready to go to Kirkuk.” He also said they have added a processing unit to Kirkuk’s oil refinery which increases its capacity by 10,000 barrels a day, perhaps as a response to a key demand from the PUK, other Kurdish parties in the city, and the local government in Kirkuk. NOC is a state company under Iraq’s Ministry of Oil. It operates in oil and gas production in Kirkuk, Nineveh, Erbil, Baghdad, and Diyala provinces as well as in parts of Hilla and Kut. According to an agreement between Erbil and Baghdad signed in August 2016 between KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani and Iraqi Premier Abadi, the KRG sells half of the oil being exported from the North Oil Company to Turkey’s Ceyhan Port and Baghdad sells a similar proportion. The NOC produces 160,000 barrels of oil per day, transferring 20,000 to Dora refinery to provide fuel to Qudis Power Station and 30,000 barrels for domestic needs.   The remaining 110,000 is being sold by the KRG and Baghdad on an equal basis. However, to show commitment to an OPEC accord to reduce oil exports, Baghdad sends 40,000 bpd on a daily basis to Kalak refinery to supply fuel to the Iraqi security forces currently fighting ISIS in west Mosul.  Currently, Kirkuk oil is being exported to the world market through the Ceyhan port in Turkey. Two oil fields in Kirkuk are under the control of the KRG and three are run by the NOC. rudaw http://iraqdailyjournal.com/story-z14931644

Check your in box. People have been talking about it all week. 

[ChuckFinley]

1 minute ago, tigergorzow said:

CF,  What time is the VIP chat today?

Not sure.  I have been watching for it.  I think there was one for OSI.  

[Wiljor]

5 minutes ago, ChuckFinley said:

Check your in box. People have been talking about it all week. 

Nope nothing, I will watch for it, thanks Chuck 

[ChuckFinley]

Just now, Wiljor said:

Nope nothing, I will watch for it, thanks Chuck 

Thanks, if I see something I will post to you. My last came in an email and I watch the Chat numbers at the top of the page. 

[Wiljor]

Just now, ChuckFinley said:

Thanks, if I see something I will post to you. My last came in an email and I watch the Chat numbers at the top of the page. 

Much appreciated brother 

[Everett]

I agree with yota, it takes a lot for Kurdistan region to become an independent new Government Globally! Iraq is so close to being stabilized, unified, democracy, and many other facets to mention at the present time, I do not see Iraq becoming a House Divided again. The delegation this week from Kurdistan to Central, with recent articles showing prosperity even IQD, this meeting I suspect is likely finalizing HCL, and territorial boundaries mainly Kirkuk!

[new york kevin]

Old News. Also remember folks, we need a new HCL not a new HCA.

[brob]

I just read an informative article concerning this subject on Stratfor, It breaks down the situation very clearly.   I can't bring it over (it won't let me). They will let you read it for free. Search for:  Reform Eludes Iraq's Oil Sector. Hope you all can access it-Brob

[tigergorzow]

7 minutes ago, brob said:

I just read an informative article concerning this subject on Stratfor, It breaks down the situation very clearly.   I can't bring it over (it won't let me). They will let you read it for free. Search for:  Reform Eludes Iraq's Oil Sector. Hope you all can access it-Brob

brob Thanks,  Truly appreciate the heads up....

[K-9 Man]

If this agreement is true, then we all can get ready for a new way of living. Let's all pray for this to happen very soon.

[ChuckFinley]

Thanks Yota for the updates.  

[Markinsa]

Reform Eludes Iraq's Oil Sector

Analysis

 APRIL 20, 2017 | 09:20 GMT 

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Iraq's lawmakers have been discussing measures to reform the vital energy sector for more than a decade. But so long as the divisions between and within the country's political groups persist, the reforms will be stuck in a legislative stalemate. (HAIDAR MOHAMMED ALI/AFP/Getty Images)

Forecast

• Divisions between and within Iraq's Sunni Arab, Shiite Arab and Kurdish populations will continue to thwart efforts to reform the country's oil and gas sector.
• A bill proposing to reinstate the Iraqi National Oil Company will be the least contentious of these measures.
• Still, as elections approach, leaders from Iraq's various Shiite political factions will try to jockey for influence in the country, compounding the legislative gridlock. 

Analysis

After just over 10 years of debate, amendment and repeated rejection in Parliament, Iraq's landmark oil bill is no closer to passing. The Cabinet first introduced the draft law in February 2007 to revamp and jump-start the country's crucial oil and gas sector after the fall of longtime leader Saddam Hussein. And though the intervening decade has done little to address the underlying factors that paralyzed Baghdad's attempt at reforming the energy industry, that hasn't stopped the country's leaders from trying. Since taking office in August, for instance, Oil Minister Jabbar al-Luaibi has steered Iraq's energy policy in a more pragmatic direction. The legislature will soon debate the latest iteration of a bill to reinstate a national oil company to oversee the country's smaller, regional firms, and al-Luaibi recently announced that Baghdad is exploring new contract models for foreign investors. Leaders such as Shiite National Alliance head Ammar al-Hakim, meanwhile, have proposed various plans to reconcile Iraq's different stakeholders to end the country's political gridlock. Even so, the differences between and within Iraq's Sunni Arab, Shiite Arab and Kurdish communities will continue to undermine progress in the oil and gas sector, particularly with elections looming on the horizon.  

Mapping Iraq's Discord

If a picture is worth a thousand words, a map is just as valuable in assessing the challenges facing the Iraqi government. The country's oil production, which even at today's depressed oil prices generates roughly 30 percent of its gross domestic product, is concentrated in just a handful of areas. In southern Iraq, the predominantly Shiite province of Basra alone accounts for roughly two-thirds of the country's oil production; were it a country, Basra would be among the world's top 10 oil producers. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq, along with the nearby disputed territories under Kurdish control, produces another 13 percent of the country's oil. And the Sunni-majority regions in central and western Iraq produce little oil to speak of.

The uneven distribution has made oil a perennially contentious issue among the country's three major ethno-sectarian groups. Following the United States' invasion, however, the situation deteriorated. Iraq's Shiite and Kurdish communities, newly empowered after decades under Hussein's Sunni Baathist administration, intimidated Sunni Arabs out of politics. The ruling coalition then drafted the 2005 Constitution with minimal input from the Sunni community — and without clarifying which powers fell to which regions under Iraq's new federalist model of government.

For the oil and gas industry, this oversight has proved a critical problem. The Constitution grants the federal government control of oil fields already producing oil. But it makes no mention of fields not yet in production, beyond stipulating that Baghdad must work with regional and provincial governments to devise a strategy for developing Iraq's oil industry. Consequently, many Kurds argue that the KRG rightfully controls production in the region under the oil and gas law it passed in 2007, since several of the fields there were not yet producing when the Constitution was enacted. Baghdad, on the other hand, maintains that under the Constitution, the Kurdish oil and gas law needed approval from the Iraqi federal government to take effect. All the while, the country's Sunni Arabs have advocated centralized control and even distribution of the country's oil and gas revenue, hardly a surprising stance given their dearth of energy resources. 

As troublesome as the dispute between Arbil and Baghdad has been for Iraq's oil sector, divisions in the country's Shiite Arab community are perhaps even more difficult to overcome. Iraq's various Shiite parties have always held diverse views on a range of issues, including oil. Having won most of the Shiite vote in the first provincial elections after Hussein's ouster, for example, the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI) called for the creation of a nine-province Shiite region, modeled after the KRG. The proposal aimed to give Iraq's Shiites greater control of production in their oil-rich provinces. But it interfered with the plans of then-Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, leader of the Shiite Dawa Party, who needed a tighter grip on Iraq's oil revenues to effectively rule. To make matters even more complicated, Basra has at times proposed forming its own region, a move that would cut the rest of Iraq's Shiite population off from the province's substantial oil production.

Iraq's sectarian and political divisions have led to a decadelong political stalemate over the oil reforms. And though the country's energy sector currently has other problems to contend with — such as the KRG seizure of two oil fields previously under Baghdad's control during the battle for Mosul — the legislation is no less important. The Constitution grandfathered in existing oil and gas laws when it took effect, meaning that Baghdad is still offering foreign investors outdated contract terms put in place when it nationalized its energy sector. Without passing a new upstream oil and gas law, Iraq will struggle to entice more foreign companies to invest into its oil and gas industry (a contentious issue in itself).

A Reformed Strategy

This reality has become more glaring for Iraq's politicians over the past few years, especially as tumbling oil prices strained the federal and regional governments' finances. Combined with the Islamic State's rise, which brought the country's competing factions together against a common enemy, and the fall of al-Maliki, who had steadily increased his control over oil revenues, the price drop encouraged Iraq's leaders to reconsider their approach.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has had to prioritize more inclusive reforms to preserve the country's fragile unity against the Islamic State. Along the way, Iraq's provinces have gained autonomy, however slight, in some aspects of governance, and the federal government has slowly relaxed its hold on the oil and gas industry. In early 2016, Baghdad approved a measure to split the country's South Oil Company into two entities, the Dhi Qar Oil Company and the Basra Oil Company, each of which would oversee oil operations in its respective province. The prime minister, facing pressure from Shiite leaders such as Muqtada al-Sadr, also reshuffled his Cabinet in favor of a more technocratic administration last year to combat the rampant corruption plaguing Iraq's government. As part of the shake-up, al-Abadi considered appointing a Kurd as oil minister — perhaps the most powerful position in Iraq's oil industry — before settling on al-Luaibi, the ISCI's nominee.

His final choice for the post has so far continued the trend toward reform. Prior to taking over the Oil Ministry, al-Luaibi was known as a technocrat who had guided the South Oil Company from 2003 to 2008, its first years working with international oil companies after Hussein's government collapsed. (Rumor has it that al-Maliki removed al-Luaibi as head of the company to reassert central control over it.) He is also the first Basrawi oil minister in recent years. But more important, al-Luaibi has acted pragmatically since assuming the post. He announced shortly after taking office that he intended to broker a deal with the KRG; within a month, Arbil and Baghdad arranged to jointly export oil produced in Kirkuk through the North Oil Company, splitting the proceeds. More recently, he finalized the South Oil Company's split and advanced the measure to reinstate the Iraqi National Oil Company.

Relative to other proposed reforms, the national oil company bill may be the least contentious. Iraq has not had a unified national oil company since 1987, and its regionally focused oil firms, such as the North Oil Company, currently fall under the Oil Ministry's purview. Resurrecting the Iraqi National Oil Company would likely distance the ministry from the country's oil firms, enabling it to focus on regulation; beyond that, the change would not be terribly dramatic. Nevertheless, the last time Iraq debated a draft of the legislation, in March 2016, Kurdish politicians opposed the measure because of the number of oil fields it would turn over to the national company's control.

Furthermore, whether Iraq's political groups share the prime minister and oil minister's zest for energy reform is unclear. The country's Kurdish, Sunni and Shiite populations are still divided, not only among but also within themselves. And their differences often play out on the national stage. In March, for example, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan tried to stymie the rival Kurdistan Democratic Party's cooperation with Baghdad over energy production and increase its share of revenues by seizing control of oil facilities in Kirkuk. The degree to which Iraq should be federalized, moreover, is a subject of fierce debate between Iraq's Kurdish and Sunni Arab communities.

More of the Same

Still, some politicians seem to be on board with change. Al-Hakim, leader of Iraq's National Alliance as well as the ISCI, announced a framework in October, proposing a dialogue to reconcile Iraq's various groups. One of the main components of his plan, dubbed the "historic settlement," is to discuss expanding and formalizing federalism in Iraq, something he and the ISCI have long advocated. Al-Hakim has reached out to Kurdish leaders to drum up support for his dialogue, leading a high-level delegation to the KRG earlier this month to meet with its president, Masoud Barzani. Not to be outdone, al-Sadr — an ideological rival — released his own framework in February. Compared with al-Hakim's proposal, al-Sadr's plan envisions a solution more in line with the Sunnis' interests, including a more centralized government and the disbanding of the Shiite-majority Popular Mobilization Forces.

Notwithstanding their stated goal of national reconciliation, both leaders devised their frameworks with Iraq's upcoming legislative elections in mind. The country's Shiite groups lack cohesion. (They will retain the most important positions in government regardless, however, if only because Iraq is a Shiite-majority country.) Besides al-Sadr and al-Hakim, al-Maliki also has strong support in predominantly Shiite areas, even though he is a divisive figure. As the vote approaches, and the fight to retake Mosul winds down, each leader is trying to influence the country in a way that will best serve his political goals. They're not alone, either. Foreign powers such as the United States, Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia are also working to shape Iraq's future to suit their own agendas, further complicating the country's reconciliation process.

Iraq's political gridlock looks sure to continue. For the country's oil and gas sector, this means more of the same: The energy reform that has eluded Baghdad for the past decade will stay at bay, even if Parliament manages to pass the national oil company bill. And the country's leaders will have to keep relying on executive and ministerial authority to try to make piecemeal reforms in the meantime.