Najifi said, “The oil law project in the form as sent to parliament is very dangerous, and in it is the partition of Iraq and the dissipation of its riches”
In remarks to German media, relayed in Arabic in Al-Sharq al-Awsat, Najifi said that "the oil law project is in need of extensive study and complete review,” calling for postponement of the discussion until after the departure of the US occupation, and the realization of the “appropriate conditions for discussion” of the law.
Al-Najifi also added that the law’s provision for foreign companies to conclude contracts with Iraq’s provinces would lead to the “control of those companies over Iraq’s wealth”
The Iraqi List is led by former Interim PM Iyad Allawi, who has grabbed the limelight again recently by beginning to form an opposition bloc in parliament, joining with the Sunni-based Tawafuq bloc to form the United Iraqi Front.
While the US continues to support the Maliki government, it has expressed dissatisfaction with its performance. Speculation abounds over the exact relationship of the United States to the Allawi and the new opposition coalition, with rumors of the US grooming Allawi for a comeback to the governing position, and facilitating the formation of new alliances.
It is an open secret that the US has pushed heavily for the Iraqi oil and gas law in its current form, which the current government has endorsed. If the speculation is true that the US is interested in a new Allawi-led government, it may find that its interests clash yet again with the government of Iraq.
