Iraq vows legal action for 'stolen and smuggled oil'

The Iraqi government on Sunday warned international oil companies of buying cargo of crude oil exported from Iraq's semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan, confirming that it will take legal action against any buyer for the "stolen and smuggled" oil.
"The Ministry of Oil confirms its warning to the world companies and markets not to buy the oil cargo on the vessel ( United Leadership), which is loaded with crude oil extracted from the oilfields of Kurdistan region," the ministry said in a statement emailed to Xinhua.
The ministry considered the oil cargo as "stolen and smuggled oil" which was illegally crossed the border without the permission of Iraq's federal government and its Ministry of Oil, the statement said.
The Iraqi ministry confirmed that it is tracking the United Leadership oil tanker and will sue any oil firm or market that may deal or marketing its cargo, the statement added.
Earlier, the Iraqi government filed for arbitration against Turkey to stop oil export shipments of crude oil from Iraq's semi- autonomous region of Kurdistan, but the Kurds said that the shipments are in line with the country's constitution.
The central government request was filed with the Paris-based the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) against the government of Turkey and its state-owned pipeline operator BOTAS, seeking to halt the transportation and exports of oil from Kurdistan without the Iraqi federal government consent, according to a statement issued last week by the Iraqi Ministry of Oil.
However, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) considered Baghdad move to file for arbitration against Turkey as "illegitimate" as long as it ignores KRG's rights under the Iraqi constitution and because that the arbitration should include Kurdistan region.
"The (Baghdad) Ministry of Oil is acting in violation of the 2005 Iraq constitution, in violation of Iraqi law, and in violation of international law. Its threats will fail," the KRG said in a statement in response to Baghdad move of arbitration.
KRG said that Baghdad arbitration request was based on preventing the export of crude oil from the Kurdistan region through the Iraq-Turkey pipeline, but the statement argued that the Kurdish region has been exporting oil by trucks via Turkey and Iran for years, not by the federal pipeline, in addition to the new Kurdish pipeline.
Late last year, Kurdistan region completed building its own pipeline to Turkey and has been using it to pump oil into storage tanks in Ceyhan port