Iraq has again told Exxon Mobil that it must choose between working in its southern oilfields or in Kurdistan.
Reuters reports that Oil Minister Abdul Kareem Luaibi [Elaibi] expects the company to make a final decision within a few days, adding:
“We made it clear to Exxon in the last meeting that the answer we expected from them is either to work in the Kurdistan region or to work in southern Iraq … Exxon Mobil cannot work in both fields at the same time.“
“Other oil companies that signed deals in Kurdistan region should face the same scenario“, said Luaibi, “and we have informed them“.
Exxon’s chief executive Rex Tillerson met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and with Kurdistan’s President Barzani last week to discuss operations in both areas, while industry sources said the US oil major was considering an offer from Baghdad.
