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11.02.2008 18:01:57
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Россия списывает $10-миллиардный долг Ирака?
Russia is expected to write off its remaining debt from Iraq, estimated at around $10 billion, without resurrecting earlier demands of preferential access to Iraqi oilfields in exchange, according to reports.
A Russian Finance Ministry official told Reuters the deal agreeing to write off the debt would be signed by Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin and Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari, who is visiting Moscow.
The official declined to give more details. Russian news agency Itar-Tass quoted Zebari as saying the two countries would also sign a broad economic and scientific co-operation memorandum.
Moscow has forgiven Iraq the bulk of its debt, but about $10 billion of Soviet-era debt for supplies of military equipment are still outstanding.
The latest round of debt talks in the middle of last year produced no results after Iraqi officials said they considered Moscow's demand of preferential access to Iraqi oil unacceptable.
Moscow is hoping to revive a $4 billion Saddam Hussein-era deal by Lukoil to develop Iraq's huge West Qurna field. Iraqi officials have said Russia also wants to participate in the development of another major field, Rumaila, in return for a debt write-off.
Analysts have long been sceptical about Lukoil's chances of returning to West Qurna, one of Iraq's biggest oil deposits, given the heavy US influence on the country's government.
The deal's revival is complicated by the fact that the government of Saddam Hussein scrapped it just before being toppled in 2003, saying Lukoil had done nothing to launch the field, which could produce 600,000 barrels per day.
The world's top oil companies have been manoeuvring to win a stake in oilfields in Iraq despite huge damage to the country's infrastructure from decades of wars and sanctions.
11 February 2008 09:28 GMT
http://www.upstreamonline.com/live/article148587.ece