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Iraq, Iran Meet To Discuss Border Oil, Gas Fields - Official

DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

A top Iraqi oil official Tuesday discussed with senior officials from the Iranian oil ministry oil and gas fields near the two countries' shared border, an Iraqi oil ministry spokesman said.

Assem Jihad told Dow Jones Newswires that Iraq's deputy oil minister, Abdul Kareem al-Leaby, and the head of Missan Oil Co. in southern Iraq, Ali Marij, met with the Iranian officials.

Two joint committees were set up, one to study oil and gas fields located in the northern part of the two countries' shared border, while the second committee was to study fields in the southern part of the border, Jihad said.

He gave no further details on the fields under discussion.

Iraq had accused Iran of siphoning crude oil from fields near its border with Iran, namely Abu Gharb and al-Fukka, both located in Missan province. Iraq also accused Iran last year of preventing Iraqi oil technicians from developing the Abu Ghrab field.

After the 2003, U.S.-led invasion, Iran seized six wells in the Abu Gharb oil field, saying they were on disputed territory and should be sealed until the border dispute was settled, Iraqi oil officials said.

Tuesday's meeting also included senior officials from both countries' foreign ministries, Jihad said.

Last year, Iraq's integrity commission, an independent official body that checks government corruption, accused Iran of seizing more than 15 wells in the al-Teeb border in southern Iraq.

Iran had denied these accusations.

-By Hassan Hafidh, Dow Jones Newswires; + 962 799 831 831; hassan.hafidh@ dowjones.com

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