以伊拉克总理努里.马利基(Nouri al-Maliki)为首的政府昨日宣布，内阁已批准一项与中国签署的30亿美元石油服务合约。该合约可能为今后外国公司与伊拉克签署的石油协议定调。

　　政府发言人Ali al-Dabbagh在一份声明中表示：“依据伊拉克北方石油公司(Northern Oil Company)与一家中国公司草签的协议条款，内阁已批准双方有关开发和开采阿赫代布(Adhab)油田的服务合约。”

　　伊拉克政府最近宣布，与中国石油天然气集团公司(CNPC)就1997年最初签署的一项石油协议进行重新谈判。
 
　　这是自萨达姆.侯赛因(Saddam Hussein)下台以来伊拉克与外国公司签署的首个重大石油合约。该国已探明石油储量居全球第三。

　　许多外国公司均有意与伊拉克签署有利可图的长期石油协议，最终中石油抢得先机。该公司是中国石油(PetroChina)的母公司，为亚洲最大的油气公司。

　　外国公司正寻求在与伊拉克签署协议时能够达成尽可能有利的条款，中石油的交易无疑将受到它们的密切关注。

　　签署服务合约的石油公司按所提供的服务收取固定费用，不参与利润分配。石油公司通常不愿签署服务合约，因为此类合约没有太大的获利空间。不过，赞成服务协议的人认为，签署此类协议的石油公司在伊拉克只承担很小的风险，因此不应获得高于固定收费的报酬。

　　阿赫代布油田距巴格达160公里，预计日产量为10万桶左右。伊拉克日产原油240万桶，其中190万桶用于出口。

　　在与中石油重启谈判时，伊拉克收紧了协议条款。中石油与萨达姆政府签署的是石油产量分成协议(PSA)，如今则变成按固定收费计算的服务协议。

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.