Iraq’s Oil Minister Ihsan Ismaael says Iraq is in discussion with Halliburton for “a technical partnership” to “develop and operate oil and gas reserves in Anbar province near Iraq’s borders with Syria and Saudi Arabia.” The only candidate is the non-associated Akkas field with 5.6tcf of gas in place.

Speaking to Bloomberg on the sidelines of this week’s GECF summit in Doha, Mr Ismaael says that commercial terms and scope of work are being “finalized,” with the Iraqi government to carry the cost of development. Of course, with post-election Iraq currently lacking a permanent government, any deal will be subject to approval by the incoming cabinet. (CONTINUED - 226 WORDS)