Iraqi parliament to debate oil law

Iraqi’s parliament will begin will today debate a key oil law that the US is pressing Iraq to pass to boost reconciliation between the country’s Sunnis and Shiite communities.

Prime Minister Nouri Maliki’s Cabinet approved the draft law after some amendments were made, prompted by comments by the Sunni Iraqi Accordance Front and other blocs in his coalition, government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said. He did not say when the Cabinet approved the measure.

On June 25, a government official and acting Parliament Speaker Khaled al-Attiya told The Associated Press that the Cabinet had approved the draft oil law and referred it to the “State Shura (legislative) Council”. He was referring to the body that was to quickly revise the drafts then send them to parliament for discussion.

The United States has pressed Mr Maliki’s government to pass the oil law, which will define distribution of Iraq’s oil revenues, a top concern of Sunni Arabs, who populate regions of Iraq that are largely without oil resources.

The bill is one of several pieces of benchmark legislation the US seeks to promote reconciliation among Iraq’s sectarian and ethnic groups.