Thu Nov 5, 2009 3:08am EST
BAGHDAD, Nov 5 (Reuters) – Iraq’s oil ministry said on Thursday that a group led by U.S. oil major Exxon Mobil (XOM.N) beat three rival consortiums to win the contract to develop the giant West Qurna oilfield, one of several fields left unclaimed after a June auction.
The 20-year contract is one of a raft of agreements that Iraq is close to clinching, which could catapult the nation emerging from decades of strife and economic decline to the position of the world’s third largest crude producer.
“The consortium led by Exxon Mobil, which includes Shell, won the contract to develop West Qurna Phase One oilfield,” Oil Ministry spokesman Asim Jihad said.
Jihad said the consortium will sign an initial deal at 1400 local time (1100 GMT) and that it still needed cabinet approval.
Exxon and Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) competed against Russia’s LUKOIL (LKOH.MM), France’s Total (TOTF.PA) and a consortium led by China’s CNPC for Phase One of the West Qurna field, which has reserves of 8.7 billion barrels.
(Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed)
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Royal Dutch Shell conspired directly with Hitler, financed the Nazi Party, was anti-Semitic and sold out its own Dutch Jewish employees to the Nazis. Shell had a close relationship with the Nazis during and after the reign of Sir Henri Deterding, an ardent Nazi, and the founder and decades long leader of the Royal Dutch Shell Group. His burial ceremony, which had all the trappings of a state funeral, was held at his private estate in Mecklenburg, Germany. The spectacle (photographs below) included a funeral procession led by a horse drawn funeral hearse with senior Nazis officials and senior Royal Dutch Shell directors in attendance, Nazi salutes at the graveside, swastika banners on display and wreaths and personal tributes from Adolf Hitler and Reichsmarschall, Hermann Goring. Deterding was an honored associate and supporter of Hitler and a personal friend of Goring.
Deterding was the guest of Hitler during a four day summit meeting at Berchtesgaden. Sir Henri and Hitler both had ambitions on Russian oil fields. Only an honored personal guest would be rewarded with a private four day meeting at Hitler’s mountain top retreat.
IN JULY 2007, MR BILL CAMPBELL (ABOVE, A RETIRED GROUP AUDITOR OF SHELL INTERNATIONAL SENT AN EMAIL TO EVERY UK MP AND MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS: 
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A head-cut image of Alfred Donovan (now deceased) appears courtesy of The Wall Street Journal.
