Commenting on the latest atrocities against the Kurds by the Arab terrorists
in Kirkuk and Mosul, Barzani and Talabani warned that they will not stay
silent while those crimes are unfolding daily
Now, with Mosul threatening to turn to chaos after most of the city's 4,000
police deserted, the Kurds are again proving staunch allies. "They're well-organised,
fierce and get the job done," said Captain Robert Lackey, a company
commander with the U.S. Stryker Brigade, which is responsible for northern
Iraq.
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News Snapshot
Talabani, Barzani and have revealed that they have reached an agreement with
Iraqi political parties to postpone elections
in Kirkuk which was
planned to be held next January until the issue of Kurdish settlement
resolved.
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Turkish FM Gul criticized Talabani and Barzani for their demand that local
elections in Kirkuk be postponed until the issue of Kurdish settlement
resolved. "They are not the ones who will decide. They might have some
demands as Iraqi citizens; however, they cannot decide when elections will
take place. There is a council in Iraq and it will decide on it. That the
election is held on a designated date is crucial."
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Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan told US Vice President Cheney that the
operation against terrorists in Falluja has caused outrage in Turkey and the
Muslim world, reported Turkish Daily News yesterday.
American warplanes flew over Arab parts of the city, and some units of the
American Task Force Olympia ventured out of their base on patrol. An
insurgent unit crossed over to the mainly Kurdish west of Mosul and attacked
offices of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). Three of the four
attackers were killed, and the fourth was wounded.
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"The
Peshmergas captured five and killed eight," Mr Piri said. "The five captured
did not carry identity cards, so we do not know yet whether they are Iraqi."
The Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Saleh, said the rebels were trying "to
destabilise Mosul" and "to prevent elections" scheduled for January.
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Heritage Oil forms joint venture in Kurdistan
with Eagle Group of Iraq
December 13, 2004
CALGARY (CP) - Heritage Oil Corp. has formed a joint venture with Eagle Group of
Iraq and will hold a 42.5 per cent interest in an oil company that will operate
in oil-rich Iraq and the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan.
Heritage and Eagle Group have incorporated a jointly owned company, Heritage
Erbil Oil Ltd., which has in turn created K Petroleum Co. Heritage and Eagle
Group will each hold a 42.5 per cent stake in K Petroleum and Turkish investors
will hold the remaining 15 per cent.
Micael Gulbenkian, chairman and chief executive of Heritage, said Monday that
his father and great-grandfather were active in the Iraqi oil industry and he
has visited the area numerous times.
Heritage will be responsible for the overall operation and management of
Heritage Erbil and K Petroleum, which will work with Iraqi Oil Ministry.
K Petroleum has a two-phase strategy to target projects with significant proven
reserves, with a plan to produce over 50,000 barrels per day, and to carry out
initial technical and exploration work over parts of northern Iraq that have yet
to be explored.
Heritage said Iraq has estimated proven reserves of more than 112 billion
barrels of oil and 100 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
Calgary-based Heritage is an international oil and gas company with principal
properties in the Republic of Congo, Oman and Uganda.
Shares in Heritage traded down 74 cents at $7.26 early Monday on the Toronto
stock market.
