The U.S. said Monday that oil companies shouldn't bypass Iraq's central government after authorities in the autonomous Kurdish north signed dozens of deals with foreign energy firms.
The
U.S.
said
Monday that oil companies shouldn't bypass
Iraq
's
central government after authorities in the autonomous Kurdish north signed
dozens of deals with foreign energy firms.
"With regard to our own companies, we continue to tell them that signing
contracts for oil exploration or production with any region of Iraq without
approval from the federal Iraqi authorities exposes them to potential legal
risk," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters.
The
U.S.
has
told companies that "obviously they'll make their own business decisions,
but unless and until we have federal legislation in
Iraq
governing these things--something that we've been urging--that there are risks
for them," she said.
Companies including Chevron and ExxonMobil from the
U.S.
,
France
's
Total and
Russia
's
Gazprom have signed deals with
Kurdistan
,
whose relations with
Baghdad
have
deteriorated due to oil contracts and other disputes.
The central government insists that all contracts are illegal if they didn't go
through the federal oil ministry.
Earlier this month,
Iraq
gave
Total an ultimatum to end dealings with the Kurdish region or sell its stake in
a giant southern oilfield.
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