According to the Minister, “Shell has provided help in the past and we are now working on an arrangement whereby Shell will provide technical assistance to Iraq’s oil industry. Shell has also put forward a proposal to help Iraq develop a Gas Master Plan, and I have given the go-ahead for this study to get under way.”

“Gas is very important to Iraq today and will be even more important in the future. It is unfortunate that in the past the value of gas was not recognised and during oil exploration and production activities gas was considered to be an inconvenience and was flared off. Starting next year Iraq [plans] to develop two of these fields and to carry out studies on another gas field in the Western Desert, close to the Syrian border,” he added.

In reply, Shell spokesman Andy Corrigan would only say the Anglo-Dutch giant is only providing “technical assistance” and nothing more.

“We have been invited to provide assistance to the Iraqi Ministry of Oil’s ongoing gas planning efforts. It’s just technical assistance,” said Corrigan without elaborating further.