A member of the Parliamentary Oil and Gas Committee, Ali Al-Mashkour, confirmed today, Thursday, that there are 11 contentious points related to the articles of the Oil and Gas Law. He expects that the law will be approved after the local elections that are scheduled to take place in mid-December.
According to Al-Mashkoor, the oil and gas law has become a point of disagreement between the federal government and the region. This is because each party views the law differently based on their own interests. There are 11 contentious issues in the articles that were drafted by the federal government, which need to be resolved. These issues touch on the essence of the law and its name, so they require time to be addressed.
According to him, the formation of the Oil and Gas Law Authority is one of the controversial points as per the law. The authority comprises representatives of the producing governorates, the federal government, and the region. The Federal Minister of Oil is the president of this authority, whereas the region wants its Oil Minister to hold an equal position. The law is expected to be passed after the local elections, which are scheduled for mid-December.
Al-Mashkoor clarified that there are not two separate states in Iraq, but rather a federal government and a region. He called for the centralization of the law to ensure that the rights of the provinces and the region are taken into account. He further expressed his committee’s readiness to approve the law at any time.
