No interview not even the shadow of a forum3 billion pounds if markets still fell by 406 of the household budget in the Insee indexTotal costs would far exceed the benefitsThis market will not dry up any time soonAmbitious targetThe financial dimension is fearHuge productivity gains weighed on pricesSometimes the timing is not to the appointmentNeed to keep some flexibility and stay pragmatic on investment opportunitiesHowever on the first two points Kouchner was very lowIt will be enough of a few words that Western companies, especially in the hydrocarbons sector, recovering to dream of the Iran. After Barack Obama is said to be favourable to a direct dialogue without preconditions "in a few months" with Tehran, with which his country maintains over relations since 1980, the Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, said last Tuesday that he was ready for dialogue, no match for once to any condition. This change, for the moment purely verbal, opportunities to Western companies frustrated for years of not having access to the fourth oil reserves and the second gas on the planet.
Secret negotiations
Indeed, Washington, which strictly limits investment in Iran of any American company since 1995, has satisfied European countries to financially isolate these past two years the regime of the mullahs for cause of clandestine military nuclear ambitions. Thus, Total, Shell and Repsol announced last spring that they were suspending their involvement in a mega-project for the production of LNG (liquefied natural gas) at South Pars, launched in 2002. South Pars is a un qui à la limite des de champ qui renfermerait des South est Qatar, offshore who qui à la limite des de champ qui renfermerait des South est Qatar, offshore to the limit of des de champ qui renfermerait des South est Qatar, offshore of de champ qui renfermerait des South est Qatar, offshore champ qui renfermerait des South est Qatar, offshore field would qui contain des South est Qatar, offshore East Qatar, offshore south Pars est un qui à la limite des de champ qui renfermerait des South est Qatar, offshore m cubes of Iran, or nothing
But the oil companies are preparing the ground in relations between Washington and Tehran deduced really. Of course, it is likely that no company sign agreement official before the presidential election of 12 June, with Western embassies are hoping that it will be Mohammed Khatami, deemed not too anti-Western, successor to the ultra-radical Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, familiar of the provocations on the Shoah or Western crimes.
But the European firms are looking for, especially since the January gas crisis has seriously affected the reputation of reliable supplier of Russia, world number one of the gas and thus the Iran competitor. South Pars LNG project is "important (...)". "because he (...) gives a presence in the Middle East", thus recognized February 11 Mauricio Mariaca, a Director of Repsol, a Spanish of the gas. Generally well informed source in Tehran, Repsol and British-Dutch Shell would lead secretly the negotiations, which could lead to here in April, for a return in the South Pars project. It would be to install a production capacity of 16.2 million tonnes per year of LNG, at the price of a dozen of billions of dollars of investment. The agreement would be under the camouflage of a contract between Tehran and the Chinese public firm CNOOC. In Beijing, becoming the first world importer of oil to feed its stunning economic growth plays Iran card since years and number a Chinese of hydrocarbons, NCPC, signed last month the first agreement for a long time in Tehran with a foreign partner for the development of the gas North Azadegan field.
Crucial development
According to a directive of the Iranian Supreme guide last year devoted to the ways to deal with international sanctions, the development of the LNG is crucial for the Iran, because it would allow him to export the gas to become his main source of foreign currency before oil, without having to build expensive pipelines or depend on transit countries that may be sensitive to American pressure. But, paradoxically, if he masters the technology of the enrichment of uranium, Tehran does not control the LNG, which implies a 163 C refrigeration.
