"The withdrawal of multiple employees - despite their small number - temporarily has nothing to do with the security situation or threats in the oilfields in southern Iraq, but it's for political reasons," Ghadhban said in a statement.
Exxon Mobil, which has a long term contract to improve the oilfield on behalf of Iraq's state South Oil Company, withdrew all foreign staff, around 60 people, Iraqi officials have said.
ExxonMobil Iraq Limited (EMIL), an affiliate of the Texas-based ExxonMobil Corporation, signed an agreement with the South Oil Company of the Iraq Ministry of Oil in January 2010 to rehabilitate and redevelop the West Qurna I field in Iraq’s southern province of Basra, home to two other major oil fields of West Qurna 2 and Rumaila.
The evacuation came just days after the United States withdrew non-essential staff from its embassy in Baghdad, out of apparent concern about perceived threats from Iran, which has close ties to Iraqi Shi'ite militia.
Ghadhban said he sent a letter to Exxon Mobil asking for the company to immediately return to work at the southern oilfield, ahead of a meeting with company executives later this week.
Production at the oilfield was not affected by the evacuation and work was continuing normally, overseen by Iraqi engineers, the chief of Iraq's state-owned South Oil Company which owns the oil field, Ihsan Abdul Jabbar said on Saturday.
He added that production remains at 440,000 barrels per day (bpd).
The evacuation came just days after the United States withdrew non-essential staff from its embassy in Baghdad, out of apparent concern about perceived threats from Iran, which has close ties to Iraqi Shi'ite militia.
Ghadhban said he sent a letter to Exxon Mobil asking for the company to immediately return to work at the southern oilfield, ahead of a meeting with company executives later this week.
Production at the oilfield was not affected by the evacuation and work was continuing normally, overseen by Iraqi engineers, the chief of Iraq's state-owned South Oil Company which owns the oil field, Ihsan Abdul Jabbar said on Saturday.
He added that production remains at 440,000 barrels per day (bpd).
Tensions has be heighten in the region following the unilateral withdrawal of United States from the Iranian Nuclear Power agreement with the world power and Germany and eventual deployment of the warships and fighter jets to the Persian gulf by the Trump administration
Source: VOA, PTV
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