Posted on 06/29/2017 5:26:29 AM PDT by Texas Fossil
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The Iraqi Oil Ministry is ready to legally challenge oil exports from the Kurdistan Region from a tanker ship that has headed into the Atlantic Ocean, reported a provider of commodity information.
“A senior Iraqi Oil Ministry official told S&P Global Platts that the ministry has been authorized to challenge the legality of the shipment and any other tankers, marking increased tension following recent warming between Baghdad and Erbil,” the UK-based S&P Global Platts reported in a statement on Tuesday.
The Kurdistan Region sends oil through a pipeline terminating at Turkey’s Ceyhan port to ship to world markets.
“The Italian-flagged Neverland departed Ceyhan on June 13 with more than 700,000 b/d, destined for Augusta, Italy, but it turned off its transponder on June 21 just past Gibraltar, heading toward the Atlantic Ocean,” reads the statement.
The Kurdistan Region announced earlier this month its plan for an independence referendum to be held on September 25.
So it was redirect to another port. As Rush says: follow the money.
I did not know of Turkey’s role in the Kurdish region getting its oil shipments out - via a pipeline through Turkey. That gives Erdogan leverage I would wish he did not have.
Turkey is NO friend of Kurds. Barzani has become wealthy by selling oil through Turkey’s pipeline.
But dependency results.
Erdogan the Islamist is Evil. He would have Kurds always be surfs.
Yes. But this bit of leverage Erdogan has is what was news to my ignorance. When I did notice Barzani acting deferential to Erdogan on some issue, I did not understand why. Now I do.
Barzani’s corruption could one day lead to “civil war” among the Kurds (across Iraq & Syria) I fear, or, those in his own group not benefiting from it enough (in their view) will have a “political coup”, denounce Barzani and remove him, promising reforms, which too many Kurds will believe, until that group gets as bad as Barzani.
from June.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.