VOL. XL

No. 20

19-May-1997

IRAN

US State Department To Investigate PossibleUK-Canadian Deal On Balal Oilfield

In a potentially significant move, the US State Department has reacted to animpending deal between the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) and a UK-Canadian group regarding thedevelopment of the 40,000 b/d offshore Balal oilfield (MEES, 12 May). State Departmentspokesman Nicholas Burns raised the issue on 13 May, saying that an investigation was beingconducted with a view to determining...