SULAIMANIYA, Iraq, July 21 (Reuters) - Long-serving IraqiKurdish natural resources minister, Ashti Hawrami, will take upan advisory role of Assistant Prime Minister for Energy Affairsin Prime Minister Masrour Barazani's newly-formed cabinet,Kurdish lawmakers said on Sunday.
Hawrami, the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) energyminister since 2006, is seen as the mastermind behind thesemi-autonomous region's plans to have an energy industry freefrom the Baghdad central government's control.
"Hawrami has been appointed as an assistant to PrimeMinister Masrour for energy affairs. He will help run the energyportfolio until a new minister is appointed," said regionalKurdish lawmaker Sirwan Baban.
Hawrami will be entitled to "carry out and implementdecisions, authorities and policies of the Kurdistan RegionalGovernment (Iraq) in relation to the oil and gas sector", a copyof the prime minister decision reviewed by Reuters showed. Thecopy was verified by multiple regional officials.
The natural resources portfolio in the new regional cabinetis vacant and several sources said Kurdish political parties areyet to reach an agreement over who should fill the position.
"There are still differences between the key politicalparties over who will succeed Hawrami," said Baban.
Barzani, told Reuters in an exclusive interview that underhis leadership, the KRG's focus would be to establish a "strongand constructive" relationship with Baghdad.
Chief among issues that strained relations between theregional capital Erbil and Baghdad is a disagreement overindependent regional oil exports and revenue sharing.
Baghdad demands that the region's oil sales must be handledby the federal oil ministry and regional authorities contestthat they have the power to sell oil and gas produced fromoilfields located inside the region.(Reporting by Ali Sultan; Writing by Ahmed RasheedEditing by Louise Heavens)