Delays Likely in Iraq Oil Bill

Sunni Arab and Kurdish politicians and a powerful Shiite party said Wednesday they had not agreed to a draft bill to regulate the country’s oil industry, raising the possibility of new delays in a major piece of benchmark legislation sought for months by the United States.

It appeared unlikely parliament would begin debate on the measure Wednesday as Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki had announced it would. A day earlier, al-Maliki said his Cabinet had approved the draft bill and was sending it to the legislature.

ABC