Iraq’s government says it has reached a deal with the Kurdish regional government that resolved a longstanding dispute over the budget and oil revenues.
The deal was announced by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s office after a cabinet meeting in Baghdad on December 2 that also was attended by the Kurdish region’s prime minister, Nechirvan Barzani.
The move is seen as a key step in improving cooperation between Baghdad and Irbil in their battle against Islamic State militants in western and northern Iraq.
Iraqi Finance Minister Hoshiyar Zebari said the agreement allows the export through Turkey of 300,000 barrels of oil per day from the northern city of Kirkuk and 250,000 barrels of oil per day from Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region.
Zebari said the endorsement by the Iraqi cabinet on December 2 made the agreement “a done deal.”
Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP
