Iraqi Kurds Ready to Negotiate Over Crisis, Oil Law

Iraq's Kurdistan is ready to restart negotiations with Baghdad to end their political crisis, focusing on a long-delayed oil law to hand regional authorities more say in managing energy resources, a senior Kurdish leader said.

The positive tone from Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister Rosh Nuri al-Shawish, a Kurd, signaled the central Baghdad government and self-governed Kurdistan may be edging toward easing their dispute over oil, territory and power-sharing that is straining Iraq's uneasy federal union.

Shawish told Reuters Kurdistan believes the oil disputes can be resolved through an amended 2007 draft of the long-awaited oil and gas law, which all parties agreed to previously.