US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Thursday that there is plenty of opportunity for the US and Iraqi Kurdistan to co-operate on oil and gas development.
Iraqi Kurdish Prime Minister Masrour Barzani is in Washington to sign two agreements, with US companies HKN Energy and WesternZagros, worth a combined $110 billion over their lifetimes.
But the deals have drawn a quick condemnation from Baghdad's Oil Ministry, which considered them to be “null and void". Control over oil and gas has long been a source of tension between Baghdad and Erbil.
“I see great opportunity for American co-operation there as evidenced by the signing of these two deals, and we would love to see that commercial relationship grow and flourish,” Mr Wright told a conference in Washington.
Mr Barzani is due to meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday to discuss expanding trade and investment between the US and the Iraqi Kurdistan Region.
“We support these deals, and we have encouraged Baghdad and Erbil to work together to get gas production to commence as soon as possible,” State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters. “At the same time, we have, of course, the declaration that these are null and void right now. This is the kind of shenanigans that can be a problem.”
Ms Bruce said Mr Barzani's visit to Washington “signals our desire to strengthen the US relationship with the Iraqi Kurdistan region".
An Iraqi Oil Ministry official told Reuters that the signing of the agreements were conducted without Baghdad's knowledge and would impact efforts to resume the export of Kurdistan regional oil.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
The biog
Name: Marie Byrne
Nationality: Irish
Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption
Book: Seagull by Jonathan Livingston
Life lesson: A person is not old until regret takes the place of their dreams
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Spain drain
CONVICTED
Lionel Messi Found guilty in 2016 of of using companies in Belize, Britain, Switzerland and Uruguay to avoid paying €4.1m in taxes on income earned from image rights. Sentenced to 21 months in jail and fined more than €2m. But prison sentence has since been replaced by another fine of €252,000.
Javier Mascherano Accepted one-year suspended sentence in January 2016 for tax fraud after found guilty of failing to pay €1.5m in taxes for 2011 and 2012. Unlike Messi he avoided trial by admitting to tax evasion.
Angel di Maria Argentina and Paris Saint-Germain star Angel di Maria was fined and given a 16-month prison sentence for tax fraud during his time at Real Madrid. But he is unlikely to go to prison as is normal in Spain for first offences for non-violent crimes carrying sentence of less than two years.
SUSPECTED
Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid's star striker, accused of evading €14.7m in taxes, appears in court on Monday. Portuguese star faces four charges of fraud through offshore companies.
Jose Mourinho Manchester United manager accused of evading €3.3m in tax in 2011 and 2012, during time in charge at Real Madrid. But Gestifute, which represents him, says he has already settled matter with Spanish tax authorities.
Samuel Eto'o In November 2016, Spanish prosecutors sought jail sentence of 10 years and fines totalling €18m for Cameroonian, accused of failing to pay €3.9m in taxes during time at Barcelona from 2004 to 2009.
Radamel Falcao Colombian striker Falcao suspected of failing to correctly declare €7.4m of income earned from image rights between 2012 and 2013 while at Atletico Madrid. He has since paid €8.2m to Spanish tax authorities, a sum that includes interest on the original amount.
Jorge Mendes Portuguese super-agent put under official investigation last month by Spanish court investigating alleged tax evasion by Falcao, a client of his. He defended himself, telling closed-door hearing he "never" advised players in tax matters.
