Kurds talk to two more oil groups - FT.com

Kurdistan is in talks with at least two other major international oil companies after signing a landmark deal with ExxonMobil that has inflamed the political climate between the semi-autonomous region and Iraq’s federal government.

The revelation by Ashti Awrami, the natural resources minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) came as he confirmed that Exxon had agreed a landmark contract to explore six areas in the region, sparking a furious backlash in Baghdad which has considered the move illegal.

“We have during the past few months been talking to at least three significant companies,” Mr Awrami told the Financial Times in an interview in Erbil.

* username: rupertbu