OREANDA-NEWS. February 27, 2012. Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Hussain Al-Shahristani, Oil Minister Abd al-Karim Luaybi, and head of petroleum contracts and licensing directorate at Iraq's Oil Ministry Abdul- Mahdi al-Ameedi paid a visit to CNPC’s base camp in Basra, where a conference for IOCs operating in Iraq was held meantime, reported the press-centre of CNPC.

During the visiting, Hussain Al-Shahristani spoke highly of the contribution CNPC's projects in Iraq have made to promoting Iraqi economic recovery. He was very pleased on learning that over 80% of surface engineering has been completed in CPF-1 of the Halfaya project, which would be operational in the first half of 2012.

Executives from CNPC, Iraq's South Oil Company, Iraq's Maysan Oil Company, BP, ENI, ExxonMobil, LUKOIL, and Shell attended the conference, and had profound discussions with Iraqi government officials on mutually concerned issues including visa application, cargo clearance, payment by oil and financial regulation, port and free trade zones.