BP, Shell executives to meet Iraq oil minister on OPEC sidelines

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http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/bp-shell-executives-meet-iraq/story.aspx?guid=%7B2E839B1C-B901-48E3-B80C-FDF43BE7D7D5%7D

12:14pm 12/07/2007

ABU DHABI (MarketWatch) -- Iraq's oil minister, Hussein al-Shahristani, is Wednesday to meet senior executives from oil majors BP PLC and Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSB.LN) after a meeting of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.

The executives confirmed a meeting would take place following OPEC's policy meeting Wednesday, but they didn't disclose the nature of the talks.

In early November, al-Shahristani said Iraq was close to hiring five major oil companies to help increase oil output by 500,000 barrels a day by the end of 2009 through technical service agreements.

The minister declined to name the companies involved in the talks although people close to the matter have said Shell was being considered.