14 June 2009 Newsletter
June 18, 2009 UNSC meeting with UNAMI
June 29-30, 2009 – bids from International Oil Companies to be revealed
July 25, 2009 – KRG Parliament Elections
August 21st to September 19th 2009 – Ramadan
October 2009 – International Compact with Iraq– Date to be Announced – Baghdad
December 7-9, 2009 Iraq Petroleum Conference London U.K.
December 31, 2009 – Development Fund for Iraq (DFI) expires
December 31, 2009 – Article Seven U.N. Charter expires
January 16, 2010 – Iraq Referendum Vote (SOFA Security Agreement)
January 16, 2010 - National Parliamentary Elections
May 23rd American Contractor (AC) predicted the Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih, had intended to resign his post as Deputy Prime Minister because he was engaging in the KRG elections that are going to beheld July 25th and since the announcement in Arab newspapers of Salih intended resignation a few days ago it is now looking like Salih will stay on as Deputy Prime Minister until important issues have been resolved. The DPM will continue to politic for his position in the KRG while at the same time attempt to pass positive legislation and resolve issues with in the Council of Representatives. DPM Salih will also remain at his current post until a successor has been named.
The Iraq Council of Representatives (CoR) is still adamant in questioning Ministry members even though the First Deputy Parliament Speaker Khalid al-Atiyah's, is trying to block the questioning of the Ministry of Oil Hussein al-Shahristani, which is also a weak attempt as the CoR will continue to push for the questioning of the Oil Minister. We hope to see some headway on this while PM Maliki is meeting U.S. Officials in Washington. The Oil and Gas committee has summoned the Oil Minister to CoR to be questioned about his failure in his Oil Ministry policies. Expect a committee to handle the questioning when the time comes for those interviews.
As the KRG is pumping oil in the north they are finding out that the oil from the Taqtaq oil field is of better quality than the oil from other Iraq fields. The KRG expect by the end of the year 2009 to be exporting 250,000 barrels per day.
The Iraqi Constitution is going to be amended and the final stages of this amendment is getting close. This another reason why the DPM Salih has stayed on to get things done.
The American Contractor has added new important Iraq dates above. The 29-30 June 2009 is when the Ministry of Oil Hussein al-Shahristani, will reveal for the first time in front of the whole world the opening of the bids from national and international oil companies. These bids will be for the cost of the barrel and the quantity of production. The bids will be for six of Iraq's biggest oil fields and two gas fields.
There has been two killings of officials one was the Iraqi Sunni MP for Accord Front Harith al-Ubaydi, killed in Baghdad after he attended Fridays prayers and an accidental shooting of the Iraqi Kurdish former deputy minister Bayiz Muhsin, accidently killed himself by a hunting rifle.
The indicators for a pending RV is not seen on the ground. The US Dollars are still being used the Oil and Gas law as predicted in my last newsletter dated 27 May stated that don't expect the Oil and Gas law until possibly next year as just reported in the Arab media to expect the Oil and Gas Law to be decided on next year's Council of Representatives. Chapter Seven don't think will be decided until next year in early 2010. The Russians and Chinese are waiting to see on what happens with the end of the month bids and to make sure that they get a share of the oil contracts before they decide to vote on the UN Security council in lifting the Chapter Seven. If one permanent member votes no than the Iraq Chapter Seven issue is unresolved.
The Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani, I think is safe for right now as the second round bids are at the end of month.
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