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BAGHDAD, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Iraq's oil ministry said onSaturday it was still in talks with U.S. energy giant ExxonMobilover a major deal to improve the country's southern oilinfrastructure.
An agreement with Britain's BP and Italy's Eniwas not part of the $53 billion, 30-year mega-project.It covered the building of two seabed oil pipelines for exportsthrough the Gulf, the ministry said.
Reuters on Thursday cited five senior Iraqi oil officials assaying that Iraq was close to reaching a deal with BP and Enifor an export pipeline project that was initially planned aspart of the mega-deal with ExxonMobil.
"The ministry affirms that its negotiations with U.S.company ExxonMobil are ongoing," the ministry said in astatement.
"...Not reaching an agreement or signing a deal between bothparties does not mean the end of negotiations or the 'exclusion'of ExxonMobil from the project as reported by news agenciesciting officials they did not name."
The deal with Eni and BP was limited to the two seabed oilpipelines, it said. Large strategic projects required more timeto research, negotiate, and study, it added.
The southern mega-deal involves several projects includingdeveloping oil fields, expanding storage, transport, and exportinfrastructure, and building byproduct gas treatment units.(Reporting by Ahmed Aboulenein; editing by John Stonestreet)
