'Federal Court's ruling on KRG oil complicates crises': Al-Siyada Alliance

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Iraqi Sunni Al-Siyada Alliance denounced the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court (FSC) ruling on the Kurdistan Region's oil and gas sector in a statement on Wednesday

"The delay of the Federal Court in deciding fundamental issues or resolving some decisions at critical times at the national level would complicate the sincere efforts towards resolving crises and pushing the country into unknown possibilities," read the statement. "Al-Siyada Alliance believes in partnership on the basis of equality in the country." 

Al-Siyada also called on the federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to start direct negotiation for resolving this problem within a defined timetable. 

"We call on the parliament to rush for legislating the Iraqi oil and gas in accordance with the constitution's articles, and the Iraqi people's interest extending from Kurdistan to Basra," read the statement. 

In its ruling on Tuesday, the FSC declared that the KRG is obligated to "hand over all oil production from oil fields in the Kurdistan Region and other areas from which the KRG's Ministry of Natural Resources extracted oil" to the federal government.

Following FSC's decision, the Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) President Masoud Barzani, the KRG, and the Kurdistan Parliament issued separate statements denouncing the court's decision. 

Read More: KRG and Kurdistan Parliament condemn Federal Court's ruling on region's oil and gas sector

The KRG statement indicated that the FSC's decision was based on laws issued during the Baathist era that contradict the principles of federalism in Iraq.

"The Federal Supreme Court (FSC) decision is unfair, unconstitutional, against the rights and the constitutional authorities of the Kurdistan Region and this is not acceptable," read the KRG statement.

Read More: President Masoud Barzani condemns Iraqi top court's ruling on Kurdistan's oil, gas sector

"The FSC's decision contradicts the principles of the federal system and the constitutional articles," read the parliament's statement. "These kinds of decisions and way of thinking cause significant damage to the federal system, governing process, and citizenship rights in Iraq." 

Al-Siyada Alliance is the largest Sunni alliance in Iraq, with 67 seats in the Iraqi Parliament. It includes the Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mohammed Al-Halbousi's Progress Party and Khamis al-Khanjar's Azm alliance. 

Together with the Sadrist Movement and the KDP, the A-Siyada alliance wants to form a national majority government.