Kurdish members of Iraq’s governing council are insisting the country’s transitional law include wide-ranging sovereignty rights for the northern Kurdish areas – including control of their natural resources and veto powers over Iraqi military movements in the region. The Kurdish demands are throwing up another hurdle to completing the statute by the proposed deadline of February 28 even though they appear highly unlikely to be adopted in full. But more encouraging news is expected on Monday with an offer by Japan to write off a substantial amount of the roughly $7bn owed by Iraq in sovereign debt and interest. The move is likely to be seen as a break with past Japanese policies on debt forgiveness. Full Story
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