Iraq Kurdistan oil exports to resume in coming dayIRAQ-OIL/KURDISTAN (UPDATE 2)
* Exports stopped last year over who pays foreign oil firms
*Recent comments signal thaw in row
(Adds oil ministersaying Baghdad will not pay oil firms)
By Ahmed Rasheed
BAGHDAD, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Iraq expects to resume oilexports from its northern Kurdistan region in the "coming days",Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani told reporters on Wednesday.
It was still unclear who would pay foreign oil firmsdeveloping fields in the largely autonomous Kurdistan region,which signed deals with the companies independently, a move thecentral government in Baghdad considers illegal.
Kurdish leadershad targeted exports of about 100,000barrels per day, but flows were stopped last year due to the rowwith Baghdad over the production sharing contracts.
"God willingwe are going to announce the resumption ofexports from the Kurdish region in the coming days," Shahristanitold reporters at a journalists' seminar in Baghdad.
He said theresumption of exports was not dependent onresolving the dispute over the contracts with foreign oil firms,and that Baghdad had not agreed to pay them. It insistsKurdistan pays them from its annual cut of the national budget.
In the Kurdish capital of Arbil, Kurdistan Deputy PrimeMinister Azad Barwari said there was an "understanding" withBaghdad that the central government would pay oil firms workingin Kurdistan.
Comments by Shahristani on Tuesday that exportswould resumein the near future sent shares in Norwegian oil firm DNO, adeveloper of an oilfield in Kurdistan, soaring.
Iraq signed aseries of major oil deals at two contractauctions last year, which may vault it into one of world's topthree oil producers from 11th currently.(Additional reporting by Shamal Aqrawi in Arbil, writing byMohammed Abbas; editing by James Jukwey)
https://www.forexyard.com/en/news/Iraq-Kurdistan-oil-exports-to-resume-in-coming-days-2010-02-10T113442Z-UPDATE-2