New talks aim to break Kirkuk oil impasse
Private-sector leaders and government officials in Erbil, Baghdad and Kirkuk are negotiating a plan that would unlock oil production currently tied up in political disputes.
Kirkuk Gov. Najmaldin Karim (far right) and Deputy Oil Minister Dhia Jaffar (second from right) meet with oil officials in Kirkuk, including Saad Hassan, the CEO of Qaiwan Group (fourth from left), and Baz Karim, CEO of KAR Group (third from left), on June 6, 2016. (Photo credit: Kirkuk governor's office)
ERBIL - Powerful private-sector leaders in Kurdistan are lobbying to resolve a four-month standoff between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) that has locked in much of Kirkuk's oil production and wasted about $600 million worth of crude.
If implemented, the plan would represent a thawing in Baghdad-KRG relations and help both cash-strapped governments provide better services to disgruntled citizens.
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