Iraq filed for arbitration against Turkey on Friday after European markets bought the first load of oil to be carried by pipeline from Iraqi Kurdistan, Reuters reported. The request was filed with the Paris-based International Chamber of Commerce and also targets Turkish state-owned pipeline operator BOTAS for its role in facilitating oil exports from Kurdistan without the Iraqi federal government's consent. "By transporting and storing crude oil from Kurdistan, and by loading that crude oil onto a tanker in Ceyhan, all without the authorization of the Iraqi Ministry of Oil, Turkey and BOTAS have breached their obligations under the Iraq-Turkey Pipeline Agreement," the government said in a statement. Both BOTAS and Turkey's Ministry of Energy said they had yet to receive any information about the arbitration from either the ICC or the Iraqi government. Earlier on Friday the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)said the tanker, carrying more than 1 million barrels of crude, was bound for Europe, and that revenues from the sale would be deposited in Turkey's Halkbank. Kurdistan finished building the pipeline to Turkey late last year and has been using it to pump oil into storage tanks at Ceyhan, bypassing the state-run system. Before that, the Kurds exported smaller volumes by truck. -- SPA 19:32 LOCAL TIME 16:32 GMT تغريد
