Iraq's KRG leader rejects federal court decision on region's oil

By Ali Jawad

BAGHDAD (AA) - The prime minister of northern Iraq's Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) on Thursday rejected a federal court ruling on its oil activities.

Last month, Iraq’s federal court ruled that the law on gas and oil in the KRG is against the central government’s constitution and ordered the regional government to hand over their crude supplies.

In a news conference in Erbil, Masrour Barzani said that the court's decision is "a violation of the constitution of the people of the Kurdish region (KRG)."

He said that the KRG will continue to exercise its constitutional rights.

For years, Erbil has been exporting its oil independently of the federal government, based on the region's oil and gas law, which was voted on by its parliament in 2007, and Baghdad considers it a violation of the federal constitution.