Q&A: Ali Shaddad al-Faris, member of the Parliament Oil and Gas Committee

BASRA - Iraq's federal government has long pushed to unify the country's oil sector under Baghdad's authority, while the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has argued power should be decentralized under the federal structure of the Iraqi Constitution.

Ali Shaddad al-Faris, a nominally independent MP from Basra, has been a vocal proponent of Baghdad's centralist position. He has advanced his views both as a member of the Parliament Oil and Gas Committee and as a co-plaintiff in a court case that resulted in Iraq's highest court invalidating the KRG's regional oil and gas law.

In an interview with Iraq Oil Report, Faris discussed the potential for Iraq to pass a national oil law, other legislative and oversight priorities of the Parliament Oil and Gas Committee, and the status of key projects in Basra, including progress on a deal for a new refinery at Fao.

The full transcript of the interview is available for subscribers below.