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Iraq oil minister reports development in talks with Kuridsh officials on northern exports

Iraq's Oil Minister Hayan AbdelGhani stated there has been development in talks with Kurdistan area officials and representatives of global companies operating there for an offer to resume oil exports by means of a pipeline to the Turkish port of Ceyhan.

We have a progress in today's talks and we anticipate to reach an understanding in (a) few days, Abdel-Ghani stated in an interview with the state owned Iraqiya TV on Sunday.

The Iraq-Turkey oil pipeline that once handled about 0.5% of international oil products has been stuck in limbo for more than a year after its closure, as legal and financial difficulties impede the resumption of circulations from the region.

Sunday's meeting in Baghdad, participated in by Iraq's oil minister Hayan Abdul Ghani and officials from the Kurdistan area's. ministry of natural resources, follows a call by Iraq's oil. ministry last month for Kurdish authorities and global. energy business to satisfy and go over restarting the exports. The meeting is still going on to talk about concerns that avoid. the resumption of oil exports, said a senior oil ministry. authorities on condition on anonymity due to the level of sensitivity of. talks. It's still early to state a final deal is possible to. reach however we can say the talks have favorable elements.

The talks are expected to focus on the Kurdistan Regional. Government's (KRG) production-sharing energy contracts, which. Baghdad wishes to modify, and the oil production costs that the. foreign oil business declare for oil produced in the Kurdistan. region, said the authorities.

Iraq had actually blamed foreign companies, together with the Iraqi. Kurdish authorities, for the hold-up in rebooting crude exports. because they had up until now not submitted their contracts to the. federal oil ministry for revisions.

It was not clear if the Kurdish delegates and the foreign. firms have actually accepted the arrangement to the oil ministry of their. agreements throughout Sunday's conference.

(source: Reuters)