Maliki opens to Kurd oil deal
BAGHDAD, Jan 3 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki called for an end to a bitter row over oil contracts brokered by Iraqi Kurdistan, which has fuelled investor questions about the risks of doing business in war-torn Iraq.
In a rare direct reference to the feud between Arabs and minority Kurds, Maliki said on Sunday he had discussed the contracts -- which the largely autonomous Kurdish region signed with foreign companies -- with the region's prime minister, Barham Salih.
"We said it is time to look at this file and settle it with flexibility and realism, in order to preserve rights and interests in these contracts," Maliki was quoted saying on the government's national media centre website. "We hope to end this crisis."
Full story: http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKLDE60203A20100103
