A US diplomat will attend a planned meeting in Baghdad on Thursday regarding the start of Kurdish oil exports through Turkish Ceyhan Pipe, five sources with knowledge about the problem to Reuters, when Washington continued to push restarting.
The Iraqi Ministry of Oil hosted the discussion about accelerating the start of oil exports from the Iraqi Semi-autonomy region in the Kurdistan region. They have been postponed until Thursday due to disagreement on the requirements between oil companies and the Ministry of Oil.
One source, an Iraqi Ministry of Oil official with direct knowledge of the meeting, said the planned presence of the diplomat’s presence, based in the US Embassy in Baghdad, came in response to the request of Washington.
The White House National Security Office did not respond to requests for comments about this problem.
“The presence of US diplomats aims to help encourage negotiations in the future and reach solutions to problems that hamper the start of oil exports in a way that satisfies all parties,” said the Ministry of Oil officials.
Reuters revealed last month that Iraq had experienced an increase in US pressure to enable exports of Kurdish oil through Turkey, thereby increasing supply to the global market when Washington wanted to reduce Iranian oil exports as part of its efforts to curb the Tehran nuclear program.
Iran views its neighbors and Iraqi allies as vital to keep their economy survive in the midst of international sanctions.
But Baghdad, a partner of the United States and Iran, Waspada was trapped in the intersection of President Donald Trump’s policy to blackmail Tehran, Sumber told Reuters.
“There is a strong pressure from the US to ensure the success of negotiations (when continuing Kurdish oil exports) in any way,” said a government official who is close to the conversation. “We hope that the role of the US will help reach a reasonable and acceptable agreement for the Iraqi government.”
Source: Reuters
