TOKYO, Jan. 26 (UPI) -- Japanese companies stand a good chance of landing a deal to develop an oil field in Nasiriyah in southern Iraq, said Iraq's deputy oil minister in Tokyo.
Iraqi Deputy Oil Minister Ahmed al-Shamma told Japanese delegates in Tokyo that his country was keen to reach a deal to develop the oil field in Nasiriyah and build a refinery in the region capable of processing 300,000 barrels of oil per day, the Platts news service reports.
His comments follow statements by Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Hussein al-Shahristani, who said a deal could materialize this year.
Japanese executives were in talks on a possible agreement to help with engineering work at Nasiriyah but left the bargaining table last year without a deal in hand.
Shamma, however, was quoted as saying there was a "good chance" that a deal could materialize for work at Nasiriyah in 2011.
The bulk of the oil produced from the field, he added, would be designated for export. Japan's Nippon Oil was invited to bid on earlier projects in Iraq and Shamma said Japanese companies stand a good chance of landing a contract for Nasiriyah because of their good reputation in Iraq.
