The Turkish government says that a subsidiary of Turkey's state oil company (TPAO) will open and run 20 oil wells in northern Iraq. The deal has been approved by the UN and the Iraqi oil ministry. The initial contract for operating the wells was signed in October 2000 and the UN approved in October 2001. The field is the Khurmala field (near Kirkuk) and is currently under the control of Saddam Husseins regime (ie, its next to Kurd territory, but not in Kurd territory).