Iraqi Government, Kurdistan Land Deal on Budget, Oil Exports: Reports

MOSCOW, December 2 (Sputnik) — The Iraqi government and the autonomous region of Kurdistan in northern Iraq have agreed on a national budget and oil export deal after years of conflict, Press TV reported Tuesday citing a statement from Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's office.

The agreement, which will come into force early in 2015, will see the daily export of 250,000 barrels of oil from the Kurdistan Region and 300,000 from Kirkuk, northern Iraq. The deal also envisages that the Kurdistan Region will receive a whole 17 percent of Iraq's national budget each year.

This deal comes as a possible landmark in relations between the government of Iraq and the Kurdistan region.

The issue of the export of oil from Iraq's Kurdistan to international markets has been a stumbling block between the region and the central Iraqi government. In September 2014, Iraq filed a complaint with US authorities, asking them to seize a cargo of Kurdish oil that was already near the US state of Texas. Earlier this year, Iraq lodged a complaint against Turkey for storing Kurdish oil in its territory.

"This deal is a win-win deal for both sides," Press TV quoted Iraqi Finance Minister Hoshyar Zebari as saying. "The (Kurdish government) needed more stability in its relations with Baghdad and the Iraqi (central) government is going through very serious financial difficulties because of the drop in oil prices, and because of…spending that has been taking place, so really we are struggling to increase oil production."

The deal comes as Islamic State, a jihadist group that has been rebelling against the Syrian government since 2012, has been extending its attacks and strengthening its positions in northern Iraq since June of this year.