Iraqi "oil" denies that China will withdraw employees

by **claud39** Fri Jan 10, 2020 11:08 am

Iraqi "oil" denies that China will withdraw employees

10/01/2020

Iraqi "oil" denies that China will withdraw employees Rc_157863816498_23

The Iraqi Ministry of Oil denied on Thursday that the Chinese National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) withdrew its employees from West Qurna-1 oil field, which is run by Exxon Mobil, because of the tensions in the region. The ministry said that the director of the "CNBC" office in Baghdad confirmed the company's commitment to developing Iraqi oil fields and said that none of the workers had left Iraq.

Reuters reported, quoting a company source on Wednesday that "CNBC", one of the largest investors in Iraqi oil, withdrew about 20 employees from West Qurna - 1 field on Sunday.

The Beijing-based source said that the company took this step after the killing of the Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani in a US strike with a drone in Iraq last week, adding that the state company kept its employees in two other fields.

A spokesman for the Oil Ministry, Asim Jihad, said that Iraq's oil production and exports are stable and have not been affected by security developments in recent times. Jihad said that the average daily production of Iraq is 4.46 million barrels per day, in line with the agreement concluded with OPEC and other oil producers. And Iraq exported 3.428 million barrels per day last December, including 3.326 million barrels per day from the ports of Basra in the south of the country.

http://www.uabonline.org/en/news/arabicnews/15751604160616011591157516041593158515751602161015/71678/1