Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07BEIJING3512
2007-05-24 07:57:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Beijing
Cable title:
CHINA/ILSA: SINOPEC REITERATES YADAVARAN DEAL
how-toVZCZCXRO5027 OO RUEHBC RUEHCN RUEHDE RUEHDIR RUEHGH RUEHKUK RUEHVC DE RUEHBJ #3512 1440757 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 240757Z MAY 07 FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8269 INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY RUEHUNV/USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA PRIORITY 1255 RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 1727 RHMFISS/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIJING 003512
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EB/ESC PSIMONS, PHAYMOND AND EAP/CM JNORRIS, SECOR
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/24/2017
TAGS: ETTC PREL ENRG EPET NL CH IR
SUBJECT: CHINA/ILSA: SINOPEC REITERATES YADAVARAN DEAL
SIGNING JUST "A RUMOR," NDRC OFFERS NO COMMENT
REF: A. STATE 67466
¶B. BEIJING 03411
Classified By: Acting Economic Minister-Counselor Christopher S. Beede.
Reasons 1.4 (b/d).
(C) Consistent with reftel (B) comments from China's Ministry
of Foreign Affairs, Tang Suxin Director General of Sinopec's
Foreign Affairs Department told Econoffs on May 23, 2007 that
reports of a late-May announcement of a deal between Sinopec
and Iran on the Yadavaran oil field are merely "rumors." In
a separate meeting on May 22, 2007, National Development and
Reform Commission (NDRC) Energy Bureau Director Hu Weiping
offered no comments on the delivered Yadavaran points, noting
only that the points would be passed to senior NDRC officials
for consideration and a response would be forthcoming.
Sinopec's Tang stated that Sinopec understands Washington's
concerns about investment in Iran given current tensions.
Sinopec is a responsible company and strictly complies with
international laws and regulations, including UNSC 1744, said
Tang. Negotiations between Sinopec and Iran's national oil
company have been ongoing for an extended period of time.
Tang emphasized that Sinopec's contract for work on the
Yadavaran field involves no plans for actual investment, but
instead would only be an engineering service contract. In
response to a question from Econoff, Tang stated that he is
unaware of the origins of the rumor of a pending contract
signing, but opined that Tehran may be exaggerating the
current stage of negotiations for its own political ends.
PICCUTA