"We're pumping between 300,000 to 400,000 barrels a day of Kirkuk crude to the Turkish export terminal of Ceyhan," Hussain al-Shahristani told Dow Jones Newswires in a telephone interview from Baghdad.
The pipeline — Iraq's main export route from Kirkuk to the Turkish Mediterranean port of Ceyhan — has been mostly closed because of constant sabotage since the U.S.-led war.
Two weeks ago, Iraq agreed with Syria to repair and subsequently reopen another key pipeline, a 550-mile-long link connecting Kirkuk and the Syrian port of Baniyas.
For long term health, Iraq should diversify its revenue stream, but in the short run, Iraq needs oil revenue.
In addition, and perhaps more importantly, the fees that Turkey and Syria will earn may help keep Turkey's anger at Iraq over Kurdish rebels hiding in Iraq in check; and help wean Syria from depending on Iran for financial support. Coupled with the ongoing defeat of Sunni Arab resistance (both secular and jihadi) in Iraq that Syria supports, we might finally succeed in ending Syrian support for the insurgency and terrorists.
Just a thought. Is the lack of a summer rerun of the 2006 Hezbollah War a reflection of Syria looking to break with Iran? Surely Syria can't like being West Iran.
