New Exxon-Turkey contracts bolster Kurdish export plans

ANKARA - This spring, as U.S. diplomats worked to broker a temporary solution to the oil disputes between Iraq's federal government and the autonomous Kurdistan region, the largest American oil company was quietly making a contrasting pitch.

ExxonMobil was in negotiations with the state-owned Turkish Energy Company (TEC), which was keen to take a stake in the super-major's six exploration contracts in Kurdistan. But the talks weren't just about the contracts, according to two people involved in the deal: first, Exxon needed to see Turkey prove its commitment to facilitate Kurdish pipeline exports.