BP losing the chance to bid to maintain its major role in the United Arab Emirates oil sector may signal not just irritation with the British flagship company, but a more serious rift caused by frustration with UK policies and even broadcasts from London.
Perceived BP haughtiness, anger over the West's support for the Arab Spring and a growing sense that the UAE's future lies in stronger ties with Asia, may have all driven the decision to block the oil major from bidding to run its biggest onshore oil fields, several well-placed sources in the UAE said.
British business has basked in the Gulf sun since a protection deal with local rulers in 1820. BP has played a role
in the development of its oil from the start in the early 1930s. But the West's support for revolutions that toppled Arab leaders in 2011 and concern in Gulf states it is too welcoming of the Islamists who replaced them, has worn Britain's centuries-old ties particularly thin, sources close to the matter say.
No comments:
Post a Comment