Iraq to bring back targeted pipeline

ANKARA, Turkey, Aug. 9 (UPI) -- Iraq’s long-sabotaged oil pipeline from Kirkuk to Ceyhan, Turkey, will begin operation again, as the two countries have reached energy accords.

The Middle East North Africa Financial Network reports on its Web site the Iraqi Oil Ministry said the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline will soon begin sending crude north.

The pipeline is a major asset for Iraq’s oil sector, enabling it to increase production in the north when it has a place to put it. But part of the pipeline dips into Sunni insurgent territory, where attacks have rendered the pipeline mostly useless in the past four years.

Meanwhile, Iraq and Turkey have reached deals on other energy interests during a visit to Ankara by a delegation led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani. An Iraq Oil Ministry statement also said Turkey wants to begin importing natural gas. This will only take place after Iraq’s Parliament approves a law governing development of Iraqi oil and gas reserves.

Turkish officials told UPI in June they are interested in tapping into Iraq’s vast, underdeveloped natural gas market via a pipeline to Turkey, which is a world leading energy transport country.

The two sides also reached a memorandum of understanding to jointly develop power plants, especially vital in today’s Iraq, which suffers from extreme shortage of electricity.