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Putin says rumours on withdrawal of Total licence 'exaggerated'
AFP
PARIS
Petroleumworld.com 09 23 06
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday reports the Kremlin was about to withdraw the licence of French oil major Total were "exaggerated", as he headed into talks with his French counterpart.
"Rumours about the withdrawal of the Total licence are exaggerated at best," he said ahead of talks here with French President Jacques Chirac.
Nikolai Gudkov, a spokesman for the natural resources ministry in Moscow, told AFP Thursday that a licence for Total to develop the Kharyaga oil field could be revoked.
"We believe that the legal basis exists for revoking the licence to Kharyaga due to the company not fulfilling the conditions of the project," he said.
Gudkov said the licence could be retracted even though the Kharyaga field falls under one of three production sharing agreements (PSAs) between Western oil majors and the Russian government.
Total owns 50 percent in the project, Norwegian energy firm Hydro has 40 percent and provincial authorities in Nenets where the field is located own 10 percent.
The warning came amid what analysts have seen as a campaign by Russian authorities to assert control over the country's vast energy reserves and to muscle out foreign energy majors in favour of state-backed Russian ones.
Putin said he expected "open and frank" talks with Chirac, stressing: "We are open to discussions on all questions".
"If this interests our partners we will give them the most exhaustive responses," he said.
Chirac told reporters that the talks would focus on "international problems" and threats to international peace, but that questions about bilateral energy ties would also be raised.
AFP 22 1807 GMT 09 06
Copyright ©2006 AFP. All Rights Reserved.
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