Around Middle East & North Africa [12.04.14]

Iraq

• Baghdad and Kurds reach ‘win-win’ accord over Iraq’s oil revenue (Washington Post) 

"In a pact that bolsters Iraq’s unity, the Iraqi government agreed on an oil deal Tuesday with the Kurdish region, ending years of political deadlock. The agreement, to be implemented Jan. 1, resolves a bitter dispute between Baghdad and Irbil, the Kurdish regional capital, over finances. The standoff has hampered cooperation.

The deal marks a significant breakthrough for Iraq’s new prime minister, Haider al-Abadi, who has pledged to repair relations between the Shiite-led government and the country’s Sunni and Kurdish minorities.

Crippling economics galvanized both sides to reach a deal, with the Kurds unable to pay salaries amid a freeze in budget payments from Baghdad and the central government desperate to plug the gap created by a dive in global oil prices.

“It’s a fair and just deal for both sides, which will really pave the way for improved relations between Baghdad and Irbil,” said Finance Minister Hoshyar Zebari.
Under the deal, the Kurds are to turn over 550,000 barrels of oil a day to central authorities — representing about a fifth of the country’s current exports. In exchange, Irbil will receive 17 percent of the national budget. An additional $1 billion will go to pay and equip Kurdistan’s security forces, known as the peshmerga."