以伊拉克總理努里.馬利基(Nouri al-Maliki)為首的政府昨日宣布，內閣已批準一項與中國簽署的30億美元石油服務合約。該合約可能為今后外國公司與伊拉克簽署的石油協議定調。

　　政府發言人Ali al-Dabbagh在一份聲明中表示：“依據伊拉克北方石油公司(Northern Oil Company)與一家中國公司草簽的協議條款，內閣已批準雙方有關開發和開采阿赫代布(Adhab)油田的服務合約�！�

　　伊拉克政府最近宣布，與中國石油天然氣集團公司(CNPC)就1997年最初簽署的一項石油協議進行重新談判。
 
　　這是自薩達姆.侯賽因(Saddam Hussein)下臺以來伊拉克與外國公司簽署的首個重大石油合約。該國已探明石油儲量居全球第三。

　　許多外國公司均有意與伊拉克簽署有利可圖的長期石油協議，最終中石油搶得先機。該公司是中國石油(PetroChina)的母公司，為亞洲最大的油氣公司。

　　外國公司正尋求在與伊拉克簽署協議時能夠達成盡可能有利的條款，中石油的交易無疑將受到它們的密切關注。

　　簽署服務合約的石油公司按所提供的服務收取固定費用，不參與利潤分配。石油公司通常不愿簽署服務合約，因為此類合約沒有太大的獲利空間。不過，贊成服務協議的人認為，簽署此類協議的石油公司在伊拉克只承擔很小的風險，因此不應獲得高于固定收費的報酬。

　　阿赫代布油田距巴格達160公里，預計日產量為10萬桶左右。伊拉克日產原油240萬桶，其中190萬桶用于出口。

　　在與中石油重啟談判時，伊拉克收緊了協議條款。中石油與薩達姆政府簽署的是石油產量分成協議(PSA)，如今則變成按固定收費計算的服務協議。

原稿：Baghdad and Beijing agree $3bn oil deal

Iraq's cabinet has approved a $3bn (?2bn, ￡1.6bn) oil service contract with China, the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said yesterday, in a move that could signal the shape of anticipated future oil deals.

“The cabinet has approved a service contract to develop and produce the Adhab oilfield between the (Iraqi) Northern Oil Company and a Chinese company, according to terms initialled by both sides,” government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said in a statement.

The Iraqi government recently announced renegotiated terms of an oil deal with the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), which was originally signed in 1997.

The deal marks the first significant oil contract with a foreign company for Iraq, which boasts the world's third-largest proven reserves, since the fall of Saddam Hussein.

CNPC, the parent company of PetroChina and Asia's biggest oil and gas company, has a head start as foreign firms line up to sign lucrative long-term oil deals with Iraq.

The CNPC deal is sure to be watched closely by companies seeking to secure the most profitable terms they can in any contracts brokered with Iraq.

Under a service contract, oil companies are paid a flat fee for their services, rather than gaining a share of the profits. Oil companies generally dislike service contracts because they do not allow for much upside potential. However, advocates of service agreements have argued that oil companies take on very little risk in Iraq and should therefore not be rewarded with more than a flat fee.

The al-Ahdab field, 160km from Baghdad, is expected to produce about 100,000 barrels a day. Iraq produces 2.4m b/d of crude, of which it exports 1.9m.

Iraq toughened its terms in renegotiating the CNPC deal, changing the contract to a set-fee service deal from the oil production sharing agreement (PSA) signed under Saddam.