Signs of understandings shown on Kirkuk oil through Baghdad - Erbil partnership

belonging to the Kurdish region of Kurdistan within efforts to invest in the fields in a joint way between Baghdad and Erbil.

Kurdistan Region continues to extract 25 thousand barrels of oil per day from the oil fields in Kirkuk disputed province with the center, according to a secret agreement dates back to last year, between the two sides without the knowledge of the province, according to a report by the Voice of Russia , seen by "Shafaq News".

A series of negotiations have been launched between the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan represented by the Governor of Kirkuk, Najm al-Din Karim and   Kurdistan Region to re-staff the Arabs , Kurds and Turkmen who were deported from Kirkuk oil installations.

Major General Rasool Omar, the official of Kurdish Peshmerga forces in Kirkuk revealed the details of the discussions that took place during the last two days, between Kirkuk and the local Ministry of Natural Resources of Kurdistan to solve oil installations crisis with Baghdad.

Omar, one of the members of the negotiating delegation from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan noted that the party’s terms on an agreement with the region stressed the Kurdish Ministry of Natural Resources must return the   staff and management of Kirkuk Federal oil installations.

Omar said that it is likely, the resumption of staff who have been deported by the Kurdish Technical Committee to work in Kirkuk oil facilities very soon.

On the Federal Police Regiment of Oil protection, which includes 300 components, Maj. Gen. stressed that their work is continuing with the Kurdish brigade, except the commander of the regiment who has an arrest warrant issued by Baghdad against him when the Kurdish force entered oil installations in Kirkuk.

He pointed out that the Iraqi Ministry of Interior had issued the arrest warrant , on the grounds that he had handed wells and fields to the Kurdish brigade without resistance or fight.

He added that the agreement signed an agreement between the Federal Oil ministry and the Region’s Ministry of natural resources about a year ago without the knowledge of the local government of Kirkuk that provides pumping 25 thousand barrels of oil per day from Kirkuk to "Khurmal" on the Iraqi-Iranian border.

The Kurds had pumped the mentioned quantity, after the Kurdish brigade started protecting fields and wells of Kirkuk towards Khurmal located between Debes and Makhmor districts in Kirkuk, according to the Major General.

The Kurdish forces have secured  oil installations in Debes district     called Bai Hassan and Abana, and some in Makhmor deep far in the province of Kirkuk by more than 15 km, which is currently under the management of the region.

The spokesman for the Iraqi Oil Ministry, Assem Jihad said on Friday that the Iraqi government will make sure of the information that Kurds started the extraction of oil from Kirkuk fields in the north of the country independently.

Kirkuk oilfields are featured by quantity of the oil, it is one of the richest oil regions in the world, where oil reserves are up to more than 10 billion barrels.