Kurdish PM in Baghdad for talks on oil law

BAGHDAD, June 22 (Reuters) - The prime minister of Iraqi Kurdistan has brought new proposals to Baghdad to discuss with the central government to try to resolve disputes over a deadlocked national oil law, an official said on Sunday.

Iraq's cabinet agreed a draft oil law in February last year, but it has failed to get through parliament partly because of rows between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and Baghdad over who will control oil reserves and contracts.

Iraq needs billions of dollars to modernise its oil industry and raise output after decades of sanctions and war, but uncertainty over the law has stalled foreign investment.

Jamal Abdullah, spokesman for the KRG, declined to outline the proposals brought to Baghdad by Nechirvan Barzani, prime minister of the largely autonomous region of Kurdistan in northern Iraq, but said they were a "good initiative".

"These are new suggestions to offer to the Iraqi central government," Abdullah said, adding Barzani arrived on Saturday.

"These proposals represent a new initiative, a good initiative. The Kurdish side hopes this will help solve all the differences over the oil law."

He said members of the delegation included the KRG's top energy official, Ashti Hawrami.

In Dubai earlier this month, Barzani said the KRG and the central government would discuss a package of proposals covering the draft oil law, revenue sharing, the functions of the oil ministry and a national oil company to oversee the industry.

Tensions have also arisen over contracts the KRG has signed with foreign energy firms. The oil ministry in Baghdad has called the deals illegal. The KRG says they are constitutional.