ROME
The leader of Iraqi Kurdish regional administration has reportedly said the energy-rich northern region might resort to a referendum to decide its fate amid disagreement with the central government over how to manage energy exports.
Following his official visit to Rome from Wednesday to Friday, Mesoud Barzani is quoted on Saturday by the administration’s website as saying his people "cannot wait another ten years for their legitimate and constitutional demands to be addressed."
The administration "will ask [the people of northern region] through a referendum to decide on their future relationship with Baghdad" if their demands are not addressed, Barzani said.
The Kurdish administration in Iraq's north is trying to negotiate a pivotal energy deal with Baghdad that would see it become a major energy supplier in the Middle East.
Almost 2.5 million barrels of oil coming from Iraq’s north has been accumulating in Turkey's Mediterranean export hub of Ceyhan for the last six months in line with an agreement signed between Ankara and Irbil, the Iraqi Kurdish region’s capital.
The central government in Baghdad opposes the sale of the stored oil, claiming it would bypass the country’s national State Oil Marketing Company and violate Iraq’s constitution.
On April 28 the Kurdish regional administration announced the stored oil will be sold without Baghdad's approval.
Iraq holds the world's fifth largest known oil reserves with 143 billion barrels.
aa.com.tr/en
