The Kurdistan Regional Government can now export up to 100,000 barrels a day from oil fields in the region, the KRG's Natural Resources Minister Ashti Hawrami said in a statement posted in the government's Web site.
He said the KRG had finished linking oil fields with Iraq's northern crude oil export pipeline to Turkey's Ceyhan port, but added such exports are still pending approval of the federal Oil Ministry in Baghdad.
News reports in November said the KRG and the central government settled a disagreement on exporting Kurdish oil to Turkey, but Baghdad later denied this.
The central government in Baghdad and the KRG are still at odd over a number of oil and gas contracts signed by the Kurds with foreign companies and an oil revenue law. Baghdad argues these contracts are void because they haven't been approved by the central government.
Hawrami said the KRG is planning to produce some 450,000 barrels a day from Kurdish oil fields at the end of 2010.