Hopes for a 13 May resumption of pipeline oil exports from northern Iraq to Turkey’s Mediterranean port of Ceyhan are fading after Iraqi oil minister Hayan Abdulghani said on 12 May that state marketer Somo has yet to receive a response from Turkish pipeline operator Botas. MEES understands that Botas intends to turn down Baghdad’s request for a restart on “technical” grounds.
Doubts were also raised by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) whose acting Minister of Natural Resources, Kamal Mohammed, said a resumption this weekend was not possible. (CONTINUED - 639 WORDS)