Top Iraq MP: No oil law under occupation

BAGHDAD, Aug. 3 (UPI) -- A top member of the Iraqi prime minister's party says a law governing oil reserves should be delayed until occupation forces leave the country.

Ali al-Adeeb, a senior member of the Dawa Party and a member of Iraq's Parliament, also said the Iraq National Oil Co. should take the lead in developing and managing Iraq's discovered but undeveloped oil, the Al Sabah newspaper reports.

This could cause a serious and vital rift between Dawa's coalition partner, the Kurdish Alliance. The coalition is already facing internal strife as well as threats from parties that have withdrawn.

The Kurds oppose INOC's role without some competition with private companies, and this disagreement is one of the reasons the oil law has been stuck in negotiations for more than a year.

"The government must have a list of the oil wells that are going to be exploited," Adeeb said. He also voiced opposition to contracts that give any non-INOC company ownership of the oil.

The Bush administration has been pushing for the oil law as a measure that would lead to reconciliation. Maliki has backed the call, to no avail.

"Timing discussions and decisions on the oil law while the multi-national forces still exist in Iraq is a huge mistake," Adeeb said.