Iraq warns Kurdish oil deals need Baghdad approval

Associated Press

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's central government is warning authorities in the semiautonomous Kurdish region that their oil deals with Turkey must have Baghdad's approval.

Ali al-Moussawi, media adviser to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, says the deals must abide by the constitution and laws that govern relations between Baghdad and the Kurdish north.

Al-Moussawi's statement Monday came a day after Iraqi Kurds announced a deal with Ankara that would allow them to export oil through Turkey and on to the international market, bypassing Baghdad.

The Iraqi Kurds and the Baghdad government are at loggerhead over rights to develop and export natural resources. Baghdad says the region has no right to sign deals unilaterally and that exports must go through state-run pipelines.