Terms of Shell's Iraq Deal Start to Clarify

摘要

Three tough years in the making, Royal Dutch Shell's estimated $17.2 billion gas venture with Iraq finally looks set to get the green light, with Iraq's cabinet expected to give its seal of approval this month. But lingering opposition is likely to make life difficult for the project, aimed at developing associated gas in southern Iraq (WGI Jul. 13'11,p2). Deputy Oil Minister Ahmed al-Shamma, Iraq's lead negotiator for the deal, maintains that detractors are not "technically oriented," and that Shell has gone a long way in allowing last-minute modifications that make the joint venture "more favorable to the Iraqi side."