12:55AM
Nice overview on Kirkuk
Friday, July 3, 2009 at 12:55AM INTERNATIONAL: "Allotting of Iraqi Oil Rights May Stoke Hostility in Disputed Kirkuk," by Timothy Williams and Suadad Al-Salhy, New York Times, 29 May 2009.
A little payback from Maliki to the Kurds for their previous deals with Western oil firms in advance of the always-almost-here national oil law: he's opening Kirkuk's huge reserves to outside deals. Kirkuk is roughly one-sixth (estimated) of Iraq's overall supplies, but frankly, a lot of Iraq is still to be explored.
No matter, it's a lot of oil, although it comes from a major field past its peak and badly mismanaged in the past.
The fear from Baghdad: if Kirkuk were to go to the Kurds, would they have enough resources to then make a bid for actual independence?
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