Russian moguls irked by BP-Rosneft deal

MOSCOW, Jan. 31 (UPI) -- Russian tycoons considered blocking a dividend payment from Anglo-Russian venture TNK-BP because of a row over a BP deal with Russia's Rosneft, insiders said.

The Alfa-Access-Renova consortium that represents Russia's interest in TNK-BP during a board meeting Monday is expected to move to block dividend payments to TNK-BP, London's Independent newspaper reports.

AAR accused BP of going against the shareholder agreement when it signed a joint deal with Russian oil company Rosneft to explore for oil in the arctic region of Russia. BP denies the accusation.

TNK-BP last week filed a complaint in London court over the deal. If it's successful, The Independent reports, the talks between BP and Rosneft would come to an end.

The Anglo-Russian venture also filed a lawsuit against David Peattie, a leader of BP Russia, saying he was in "clear breach" of his responsibilities because of his role in the Rosneft talks.

Bob Dudley, chief executive officer at BP, was forced from his position in Moscow when he served as chief at TNK-BP from 2003-08. The Russian side complained he was moving the company too close to the BP side.