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The New Anatolian: Turkey still in gas talks with Iran

EXTRACT: Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSB) and France’s Total SA (TOT) have contracts to develop gas fields in southern Iran. But Iranian officials have criticized the companies the past year, suggesting they were slowing their work under US pressure.
 
TNA with wire services
21 January 2008

Tehran and Ankara are continuing negotiations on restoring Iranian gas to Turkey which stopped about two weeks ago due to domestic shortages.

“We are still in talks with Iran to resume export of 30 million cubic meters of gas per day to Turkey,” Turkish Energy Minister Hilmi Guler said over the weekend.

Iran shut off exports to Turkey on January 7 after finding itself with gas shortages caused by a sharp rise in domestic consumption due to unprecedented cold weather and a sudden decision by Turkmenistan to halt supplies to the north and northeastern parts of the country.

The stoppage of Iranian gas to Turkey forced a halt in Turkish exports to Greece via a newly-opened pipeline. Guler noted that once Iran resumes gas flows, his country would not immediately begin its exports to Greece. “We do not need to turn the gas back on to Greece, because they don’t need it now.”

It was reported earlier that Iran would begin gas exports to Turkey by January 14. Iran normally exports 30 million cubic meters of natural gas to Turkey per day, while it imports roughly 23 million daily from Turkmenistan. Russia’s Gazprom has said it has increased its exports to Turkey to close the deficit.

In a related news Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a former Iranian president, Friday blamed foreign companies and suppliers for shortages in natural gas used for heating during an unusually cold winter. “They did not fulfill their tasks in gas production projects in the south of the country and the projects were delayed,” Rafsanjani said. Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSB) and France’s Total SA (TOT) have contracts to develop gas fields in southern Iran. But Iranian officials have criticized the companies the past year, suggesting they were slowing their work under US pressure. Rafsanjani also blamed neighboring Turkmenistan.

Turkmenistan said the halt was in part because of late Iranian payments, as well as slow repairs on a pipeline on its side of the border. “Really, Turkmenistan moved unpleasantly,” Rafsanjani said. “If they have claims over payment, they should have waited until the end of winter. They should not have disturbed people of a neighboring, friendly Muslim country.”

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