BAGHDAD — Iraqi Arab lawmakers from rival sects joined forces Sunday to criticize what they claim is overreaching by the Kurds, alleging the powerful U.S.-backed minority’s go-it-alone style in oil and other major issues threatens national unity.
The 145 Shiite, Sunni and other legislators signaled their opposition to Kurdish ambitions in the disputed northern city of Kirkuk and in negotiating deals with foreign oil companies without involving the central government.
“There must be a formula for maintaining the unity of Iraq and the distribution of its wealth,” said secular lawmaker Osama al-Nijifi, reading from a declaration at a news conference in the capital. “Oil and gas are a national wealth, and we are concerned about those who want to go it alone when it comes to signing deals.”
The declaration, which was careful not to mention the Kurdish government by name, could create new tensions among Sunni Arab, Shiite and Kurdish groups.
The Kurds are a key group within the governing coalition and have been Washington’s most reliable allies in Iraq. Since the ouster of Saddam Hussein, they have forged a close relationship with the majority Shiites.
But recent assertive acts by the Kurds, such as the refusal to fly the Iraqi national flag in the region, have irritated the Shiite-dominated government in Baghdad as well as Sunni Arabs.
Many see such gestures and the recent oil deals as a threat to the country’s national unity.
Separately, a roadside bombing north of Baghdad killed a U.S. soldier and wounded four, the military announced Sunday. The attack took place Saturday in Ninevah province.
