Baghdad files Lawsuit against Erbil over Energy Deals
Iraqi Oil Ministry files lawsuit against Kurdish region over unilaterally signed energy deals
The semi-autonomous region has signed multibillion-dollar agreements with US companies HKN Energy and WesternZagros to develop gasfields.
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Rudaw Net
an hour ago
- Rudaw Net
UK smuggling sanctions target 10 individuals from Iraq, Kurdistan
Also in Iraq Iraq eyeing 'sustainable' diversification away from oil: PM advisor Diyala council seeks to block Qaratapa district upgrade Iraq's ruling coalition condemns drone attacks on Kurdistan Region Iraqi parliament fails to discuss drone attacks on Kurdistan Region A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Ten Iraqi nationals, including individuals from the Kurdistan Region, were sanctioned under a new United Kingdom sanctions regime targeting smuggling networks, the British consulate in Erbil said on Wednesday. The UK announced on Tuesday the launch of what it described as the world's first sanctions regime specifically aimed at smuggling gangs and their facilitators. 'The first designations under the regime, announced today, include 10 Iraqi nationals who have been exploiting and endangering vulnerable people, including from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and threatening the security of the UK and the KRI [Kurdistan Region of Iraq],' the UK consulate general in Erbil said in a statement seen by Rudaw. 'These sanctions are part of a wider effort, in coordination with international partners, including the KRG [Kurdistan Regional Government], to stop this cruel trade and promote regional and international stability,' it added. The new Global Irregular Migration and Trafficking in Persons (GIM) sanctions target individuals and organizations involved in smuggling and trafficking worldwide, including those who fund or enable such activities. Measures include travel bans, asset freezes, and restrictions on access to the UK's financial system. With these sanctions, the UK government does not have to rely on criminal or counter-terrorism laws. They require less evidence and do not involve the apprehension of the suspect. Criminal law also takes effect after a crime has been committed, while sanctions serve as a proactive tool to disrupt criminal activity and publicize the individuals involved. 'For too long, criminal gangs have been lining their corrupt pockets and preying on the hopes of vulnerable people with impunity as they drive irregular migration to the UK. We will not accept this status quo,' UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said in a statement on Tuesday. 'That's why the UK has created the world's first sanctions regime targeted at gangs involved in people smuggling and driving irregular migration, as well as their enablers,' he added. The BBC reported the announcement following a protest outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in southeast England's Essex county. The protest was triggered by the arrest of an asylum seeker for alleged sexual assault. It also reported that around two dozen names of the first batch of targeted individuals will be announced. Per the UK consulate general's statement, it is clear that ten of the individuals are Iraqi nationals, including from the Kurdistan Region. AFP released the identities of some of them, including several with Kurdish names. 'The first targets will cover a range of wrongdoing, from the supply of small boats being used on cross-Channel journeys, to the trade in fake passports, as well as middlemen facilitating payments through Hawala networks, to the gang leaders themselves,' the British government's statement said. Hawala networks are an informal and trust-based system for transferring money across borders without physical transfer of money. Separately, the UK has signed a 'one in, one out' agreement with France, allowing the return of illegal migrants arriving from France in exchange for accepting a set number of legal asylum seekers from France subject to security checks, according to the BBC. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer also recently reached agreements with France and Germany aimed at curbing the arrival of small boats. Thousands of people from Iraq and the Kurdistan Region take on perilous routes towards Europe on a yearly basis in hopes of escaping unemployment, political instability, and corruption. The UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) has previously worked with the KRG against organized crime. 'We maintain a positive relationship with law enforcement partners in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and work with them against a range of shared threats, including organised immigration crime," a spokesperson for the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) press office told Rudaw in November 2024. Kurdish criminal groups control the increasingly lucrative cross-Channel migration routes, according to the NCA, which said in its 2023 assessment that the groups are mainly based in northern Europe. Also in November last year, a French court sentenced 18 people, mostly Kurds from the Kurdistan Region, to prison terms of up to 15 years for operating a smuggling network that transported people across the English Channel. In May 2024, Kurdish police in Sulaimani arrested a Kurdish man accused of heading an organized crime group that smuggled people into the UK. The regime was previously outlined by foreign minister David Lammy in January.
Rudaw Net
2 hours ago
- Rudaw Net
DEM Party rebukes call by Erdogan's ally to dissolve
Also in Turkey Erdogan commends Ocalan's support for peace process Erdogan will not seek Turkey-Iraq oil export deal renewal: Gazette PKK says no more disarmament until Ankara enacts reforms Turkish parties discuss forming PKK peace commission in parliament A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkey's pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) on Tuesday condemned a call from an ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urging the party to dissolve itself over alleged ties to Kurdish rebel groups. The DEM Party firmly rejected the demand, stating it has no intention of disbanding. The DEM Party is mediating peace talks between Ankara and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The latter has decided to dissolve itself and lay down arms after decades of a devastating war with the Turkish state. A first group of PKK fighters burned their weapons earlier this month. Mustafa Destici, leader of the Great Unity Party (BBP), on Monday called on all alleged offshoots of the PKK to dissolve themselves, mentioning the DEM Party too. 'Even this DEM Party in Turkey will do so. Because it is also the PKK's party. It will dissolve itself, condemn terrorism, and establish a new party,' he told reporters. The BBP is part of the ruling People's Alliance, which includes Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP). The DEM Party rebuked the Turkish politician for his remarks late Tuesday. 'DEM Party is the name of the struggle for equality, freedom, democracy, justice, and peace of the peoples. It is the will of millions. It is not a mere signboard, nor is it temporary. It has reached this point by paying great costs and through an uninterrupted struggle,' stated the pro-Kurdish party. 'The purpose of the DEM Party is clear: to ensure peace and build democracy for 86 million people.' The party refused to dissolve itself. 'We are not dissolving our party. We are right where we stand, and our march continues with determination. We will never step back,' the party said, advising the BBP leader to be 'the voice of people and democracy, not of Kurdish hostility.' On May 12, the PKK announced its dissolution and intention to disarm after being urged to do so by its founder Abdullah Ocalan who said it was time to take the struggle for Kurdish rights into the political sphere. The PKK has declared a unilateral ceasefire and on July 11 held a disarmament ceremony had a ceremonial disarmament where 30 fighters, including commanders, burned their weapons. Erdogan on Monday praised Ocalan for his continued support for peace talks between the PKK and Ankara. 'We are determined to build a terrorism-free future. We are clear about what we will do to reach our goal, how we will achieve it, and where we will ultimately end up,' Erdogan told journalists. Erdogan also said that they are following the PKK disarmament process, adding that the negotiations to form a parliamentary commission to address the peace process, or what Ankara calls terror-free Turkey, have 'reached the final stage. You will soon see progress at the parliamentary level.' The peace process will be guided by the parliamentary commission. Representatives of the parliamentary bloc of Turkey's political parties met with the parliament speaker on Friday and the commission is set to be formed within days. The commission has broad political support, except from the ultranationalist Good Party (IYI). Sezai Temelli, a DEM Party lawmaker, told Rudaw on Tuesday that the parliamentary commission will consist of 35 members and may hold its first meeting in the coming days. 'There may be a meeting on Friday. Even if it is not Friday, it will definitely convene within the next week. Even if parliament goes on recess, the commission will continue its work and fulfill its legal preparation duty until October 1,' he said. He added that the commission's main task will be to ensure 'legal and political guarantees for the disarmament process.' Some PKK fighters based in Duhok province told Rudaw earlier this month that they fear reprisals if they return to Turkey, with many opting to remain in the mountains instead. "In the first phase, regulations will be made regarding the legal and political rights of those who lay down arms. After this stage is completed, new steps can be taken for the continuation of the process,' Temelli noted, adding that the DEM Party delegation, which has held several meetings with Ocalan in jail, will visit him again following the commission meeting. Ibrahim Kalin, Turkish intelligence chief, has held meetings with several Turkish political parties over the peace talks, including the DEM Party. Temelli said their meeting with Kalin was positive. "It was a sincere and important meeting. We won't make statements about its content, but it went positively. The resumption of dialogues is important for the democratic solution of the Kurdish issue,' the lawmaker said.
Rudaw Net
4 hours ago
- Rudaw Net
Rubio tells Sudani important to pay KRG salaries 'consistently'
Also in World Brawl breaks out between pro-Damascus, Kurdish rallies in Germany's Dusseldorf US encourages Iraq to end tensions with Kurdistan Region US orders return of Baghdad embassy, Erbil consulate staff US says attacks on Kurdistan Region 'unacceptable' A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke by phone with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani, emphasizing the importance of ensuring uninterrupted salary payments to civil servants in the Kurdistan Region. Rubio also conveyed Washington's concerns regarding a pending bill in the Iraqi parliament that seeks to further institutionalize pro-Iranian militia groups, a State Department spokesperson said on Wednesday. The phone call came just hours after the Iraqi government decided to resume the payment of the salaries of public employees in the Kurdistan Region after nearly three months of suspension due to financial disputes with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). 'The Secretary noted the importance of paying Iraqi Kurdistan Region (IKR) salaries consistently,' read a statement from State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce. Sudani's office has yet to comment on the phone call. Tensions between Baghdad and Erbil escalated in late May when the federal finance ministry suspended transfers, accusing the KRG of exceeding its 12.67 percent share of the federal budget and failing to deliver the agreed oil volumes to Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO). The freeze affected more than 1.2 million public sector employees in the Kurdistan Region. Last week, the federal and regional governments reached a new deal over financial and oil disputes following the failure of several similar deals in the past. The Iraqi government approved the agreement during a cabinet meeting and decided to resume the disbursement of the salaries of KRG's civil servants on Tuesday. The payment will only cover the month of May, and the disbursement of salaries for the remaining months will depend on how the agreement is implemented moving forward. The Erbil-Baghdad agreement also includes the resumption of KRG's oil exports. The process has been halted since March 2023 when a Paris-based arbitration court ruled in favor of Baghdad against Ankara, saying the latter had violated the 1973 pipeline agreement by allowing Erbil to begin exporting oil independently in 2014. Under the agreement, the KRG must export its entire oil output through Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO), keeping 50,000 barrels daily for local use. In return, Baghdad is expected to make budget transfers and provide refined fuel if needed. The KRG is also obligated to hand over 120 billion Iraqi dinars (nearly $92 million) in non-oil revenues monthly for May. Washington has been pressuring Erbil and Baghdad to resume the Kurdish oil exports. Rubio told Sudani during the phone call that it is also important to resume the flow of the Kurdish oil to international markets through the Iraq-Turkey Pipeline, Bruce said in the statement. Kurdistan Region has come under nearly 20 drone attacks, including strikes on its oil fields, in recent weeks. The KRG has blamed Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF, or Hashd al-Shaabi) for the drone attacks, a charge Baghdad has denied. The drones were seen by many as a pressure tactic by pro-Iran groups on the Kurdish government to make compromises to the federal government during negotiations over the resumption of the KRG's oil exports. The attacks have stopped since both governments finalized the agreement on Thursday. The Rubio-Sudani phone call focused on the drone attacks. Some of the targeted sites are operated by US companies. Rubio 'stressed the importance of the Iraqi government holding the perpetrators accountable and preventing future attacks,' Bruce noted in her statement. The attacks have been condemned internationally and locally, including by the US, UK and UN. The Iraqi government has launched an investigation into the strikes but has yet to announce the results. The federal parliament failed to discuss the matter on Monday after Kurdish lawmakers boycotted the session for unknown reasons. Rudaw has learned that some Kurdish parliamentarians feared that the Shiite factions could exploit the session to add a pending bill seeking more rights for the PMF members. The PMF was established in 2014 during the Islamic State group (ISIS) blitz, which saw the group seize control of large parts of Iraq's north and west. Although the PMF has been integrated into the security apparatus, the inclusion of some pro-Iran groups and their failure to answer to Sudani as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces has concerned Washington. The Iraqi government in February sent a bill to the parliament to further institutionalise the PMF, including retirement rights. 'The Secretary also reiterated serious U.S. concerns with the Popular Mobilization Commission (PMC) bill currently pending in the Council of Representatives (COR), emphasizing that any such legislation would institutionalize Iranian influence and armed terrorist groups undermining Iraq's sovereignty,' Bruce said. Rubio later said on X that he told Sudani that he desires to see an Iraq 'free of Iran's pernicious influence." Spoke with Iraqi PM Sudani about the recent attacks against oil companies in Iraq, including U.S. companies. We support a prosperous Iraq, free of Iran's pernicious influence. — Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) July 23, 2025 Iran is believed to have many proxy groups in Iraq, which it has used in the past to target US interests in the region. Washington has taken several measures to ensure that Baghdad is free of Tehran's influence, including the termination of a waiver which had allowed Iraq to buy Iranian electricity for years.
