72 Iraqi MPs threaten to export Basra's oil independently

Some 72 Iraqi members of parliament yesterday demanded that the oil-rich province of Basra be given financial independence and called for an end to discrimination between the southern province and Iraq’s north.

The parliamentarians also threatened to resort to exporting oil independently from the government if their demands are not met.

Khalaf Abdul-Samad, a member of the State of Law Coalition, said in a press statement made available to Anadolu that 72 members of parliament signed a petition to “restore Basra’s rights” and end the discrimination exercised between the province and northern Iraq.

The petition demanded that Basra’s quota be guaranteed in the budget in line with the agreed quotas.

The MPs representing Basra in parliament “are the province’s legitimate representatives in negotiations with the government,” he said, reminding the government of its obligation to pay Basra’s financial dues, which have been outstanding since 2010. He called for a timetable to be drawn up for the government to repay its debts.

“If our demands are not met, we will export oil domestically and take all its revenues till the government repays all the money it owes Basra,” he said

Basra possesses the country’s largest oil wells and produces 80 per cent of Iraq’s oil.