EurasiaNet Eurasia Insight - Italian Premier "Happy" With Kazakh Pledge To Keep Oil Contract

EURASIA INSIGHT

ITALIAN PREMIER "HAPPY" WITH KAZAKH PLEDGE TO KEEP OIL CONTRACT
10/09/07
A EurasiaNet Partner Post from BBC Monitoring

Excerpt from report by Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency

Astana, 8 October: Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi is positive in his assessment of assurances by the Kazakh leadership that contracts will remain unchanged. [Earlier, the Kazakh authorities warned Italy’s Eni to strip the energy firm of its leading role at the Kashagan oilfield after production delays and other problems]

"I am very happy about the message and assurances which I received during a conversation with Kazakstan’s president and prime minister, who said Kazakhstan has no intention to change the contracts signed or terms agreed, and that Kazakhstan will continue fulfilling its contractual commitments fully," Prodi said at a Kazakh-Italian economic forum in Astana today.

[Passage omitted: Italian premier held talks with Kazakh president]

Prodi also said Italian business circles were concerned about Kazakhstan’s initiative to make amendments to the law "On mineral resources and subsoil use".

"Not only Italian but also foreign media outlets, as well as members of business circles, are to some extent concerned about the new law. I asked special attention to be paid to this," Prodi said.

[Passage omitted: this issue was discussed during the talks, he said]

Editor�s Note: Source: Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency, Almaty, in Russian 1058 gmt 8 Oct 07

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