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Statoil confirmed Wednesday it was in talks to sell its stake in the giant oil field of West Kourna 2, in Iraq, Lukoil and its Russian partner, according to Iraqi sources the sector, two companies have reached an agreement.

Statoil has a 18.75% share, and sales to the Russian Lukoil will give a 75%. The remaining 25% is held by a public company in Iraq.

An agreement will allow the Russian company to become the only dealer outside of one of the largest oil projects in the pipeline in Iraq, while Norway will become the first major Western band to withdraw from an Iraq project in recent years.

"Statoil has reached an agreement with Lukoil to sell its stake in Kourna West 2 and the Iraqi Oil Ministry has approved the agreement," said a source from the Iraqi oil sector.

Another Iraqi source confirmed the agreement. "Statoil has sold its stake in Lukoil and Lukoil is now the sole operator of Kourna West 2", it was reported.

For its part, Statoil has simply said that the process was underway.

"Lukoil and the Iraqi authorities have previously confirmed that we had initiated a process to transfer shares of our project Kourna 2 West in Iraq," said a spokesman for Statoil. "We will when this process is completed," he added, without comment on the transaction amount or timing.

The Norwegian public company has been considering for some time to leave Iraq to refocus on less risky assets around the world, according to industry sources. Statoil plans to invest several billion dollars in deposits in the U.S. or offshore Norway.

The rating agency has again lowered the credit rating of Greece, "C", which corresponds to an almost certain risk of default. Moody's in New York.

The U.S. rating agency Moody's said Friday night that lowered the credit rating of Greece to "Ca" to "C" to reflect the launch of the restructuring of public debt in Athens. This operation "entails expected losses of more than 70% for investors" who will participate, Moody's wrote in a statement.

Moody's assigns a "C", the lowest possible rating on its classification as it deems to borrowers on the edge of default, while a rating of "Ca" she attributed so far to the Greek public debt corresponds to the speculative issuers in which the failure seems likely. The agency says that in his view, the swap of debt proposed by the Greek government to its private sector creditors, whose success is imperative to allow "the provision [of Athens] a additional financial assistance of the euro area "will return, if completed, a" default "on" Greek government ". The agency was then referred to the new European rescue plan providing 130 billion euros of aid set in motion Thursday.

Its rival Standard & Poor's lowered the credit rating Monday of Greece to "SD", a level corresponding to "selective default", to reflect the debt erase operation launched three days earlier. S & P said it planned to raise the rating to CCC of the country, which she attributed to poor quality of issuers with a real risk of default, where such operation would have been fully completed, probably in mid- in March.

This is not the case of Moody's, which does not assign "perspective" to the Greek note, sign it refuses to speculate on what could be its evolution after the debt swap consumed. "Regarding the future, the program of the European Union and the proposed debt exchange will reduce the debt burden for Greece, but the risk of default of the country will remain high even after this exchange has been completed, "the agency wrote.  

"Moody's believes that Greece still faces challenges in the medium term solvency: the ratio of public debt to GDP is well above 100% for several years," the statement added.

Restructuring launched Feb. 24 to allow Greece to obtain a cancellation of debt of 107 billion euros. Athens proposes to give private creditors participating in the operation of securities worth less than 53.5% of those they currently hold. A quarter of those titles that creditors will receive bonds from the European Stability (EFSF), presumably with a maximum maturity of two years. The rest will consist of new Greek bonds with maturities ranging from 11 to 30 years, a period much greater than those they replace. Because interest rates that will yield these securities loss to creditors should be around 73%.

Vinci said Wednesday a tender offer in the coming days for a minority stake in the Turkish airport operator TAV Holding Havalimanlari, why Aéroports de Paris also on the ranks.

The sale of a stake of up to 40% should value TAV, which manages several airports in Turkey, including Istanbul, more than two billion dollars (1.5 billion euros), according to sources familiar with the matter.

"Vinci confirms that an offer will be filed in the coming days," said a spokesman for the world leader in construction and concessions.

According to a source familiar with the matter, Vinci is best placed ADP.

"Vinci should win the deal on TAV, said this source. Vinci and ADP present their bids early next week. "

It would be the second failure in a row e abroad for ADP, which lost early February the call for tenders for the modernization of the Brazilian airport of Sao Paulo Guarulhos in favor of a trio of groups Brazilian and South African

. Another source however said that the games were not made in Turkey, stressing that supply of ADP is probably much higher than Vinci. 

But the source said, ADP, which the French state owns 52% stake, was forced to offer a higher price as a result of the anger in Ankara by the law criminalizing denial of genocides recognized by France, including the Armenians by the Turks in 1915.

ADP, which last week confirmed his interest in TAV, did not wish to comment.

French consumer confidence is still very low, but gains a point in February, according to figures from INSEE. The morale of French households increased very slightly.

French consumer confidence has improved slightly in February. The indicator that measures it wins a point from January to climb to 82, a continued low level, INSEE announced Friday.

This is the second consecutive month of rise of this index, which had declined in December to its lowest level since December 2008, 80 points (against a long-term average of 100).

The French are less pessimistic because of a slight improvement in their moral outlook on their personal finances (2 points) and the overall standard of living in France (4 points).  

Households are also slightly less pessimistic about the evolution of unemployment (down one point in the index, 64) even though they "are almost as many as in January to anticipate an increase", said INSEE in a statement.

This is one of several government ministers who resigned amputee who is granted in terms of the IMF and the European Union on Friday, while the Greek street is angry. Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos on arrival at a cabinet meeting in Athens. According to government officials, the Greek government on Friday approved a bill involving the country in the reforms demanded by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund for the implementation of a second bailout of 130 billion euros. (Reuters / Panayiotis Tzamaros)

Some resignations later … The Greek government has finally approved, this Friday night, a bill involving the country in the reforms demanded by the EU and the International Monetary Fund for the implementation of a second bailout of 130 billion euros, according to government officials.

The bill should be voted by parliament Sunday, which would make Greece a financial solution so that Athens must pay 14.5 billion euros of bonds maturing next month. The country will not honor these debts without further aid.

The European Union urges the Greek government to provide details of further cuts in public spending of $ 325 million.

It also requires a clear commitment of party leaders of the coalition government to implement reforms.

"We can not let Greece go bankrupt. Our priority is to take steps to adopt the new economic program and the new loan agreement. It goes without saying that those who disagree and do not vote for the new program can not remain in government ", said Prime Minister Lucas Papademos to the Cabinet

…. Friday ….., the Greeks began a 48-hour general strike to protest the new austerity measures demanded by international creditors and which Athens could not be the economy, according to Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos, at least of leaving the euro

. Clashes between protesters and police erupted Constitution Square (Syntagma), but to Parliament protests , followed by relatively few, have generally been peaceful

. The first police union, which accused the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Commission undermine democracy and national sovereignty, expressed his wish not to act against their "brothers". A local newspaper also publishes a photo montage showing German Chancellor Angela Merkel in a Nazi uniform.

The four government members from the LAOS, far-right party that belongs to the governing coalition, submitted their resignations in protest against the demands of international creditors, reports news agency ANA. George Karatzaferis, leader of the movement, had previously ruled to endorse the new austerity plan.

The device provides for a 22% decrease in the minimum wage, the elimination of 150,000 jobs in the public and reduced pensions.

For many Greeks, impoverished by five years of recession, in a country where unemployment affects one in five working where shops are closing one after the other, these new measures are unacceptable.

China has banned its airlines to pay tax on emissions imposed by the European Union since January 1. His opposition joined the United States, India and Russia. An airplane of American Airlines lands on the tarmac at the airport in Port-au-Prince in February 2010.

For the Chinese government, no question of paying tax on pollutant emissions: a tax imposed by the EU to reduce global warming. The Chinese government's message is clear: "No Chinese airlines to participate in the EU ETS" taxes on carbon emissions "without permission from government authorities," and adds that they are also forbidden to raise their rates to offset the cost of the European measure.

The EU ambassador to China, Markus Ederer, defended the tax, but said Monday that negotiations could take place. "There are several possible ways, bilateral, multilateral or perhaps legal," he told a press conference, implying that a solution for Chinese companies could be paying a carbon tax in China. "We are ready to discussions on equivalent measures that would exempt companies from the countries concerned" the payment of the European carbon tax, he added. "We are witnessing a struggle between the EU and China on this issue. You have to see if China will not soon take retaliatory measures", for its part has responded to AFP Yanyan Luo, an analyst at China Merchants Securities based in Shenzhen (south).

In China, the European law will cost 800 million yuan (97 million) in 2012 to its airlines, and this cost will be multiplied by four in 2020. When asked about the tax by AFP, companies China Eastern and China Southern have refused to comment Monday. Worldwide, airlines encrypt the extra cost of the measure for the sector to € 17.5 billion over eight years. The European Commission for its part argued that the additional cost per ticket for a long haul flight would return between 4 and 24 euros only. By this law came into force on 1 January, the Europeans want to force all airlines, irrespective of their nationality, to buy the equivalent of 15% of their CO2 emissions, or 32 million tonnes. The objective is to fight against global warming. But the arguments of Europeans objected to by 26 of the 36 members of the Aviation Organisation (ICAO), including the United States, China and Russia. They adopted early November a nonbinding resolution recommending to exempt foreign companies from the EU carbon tax.

Going further, the House of Representatives in the United States passed a bill prohibiting U.S. airlines to pay this tax, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had asked the Europeans to suspend the entry into force . U.S. companies complain of a discriminatory measure and have filed an appeal in Britain, but their arguments were rejected by the European Court of Justice.

In early January, China said it would not cooperate with the EU to implement the tax that had just come into force and had hinted at retaliation. By the end of last year, the China Air Transport Association (CATA), which brings together most Chinese companies had indicated that "Chinese companies would not participate in the ETS, would not provide carbon monitoring plan to EU countries and would not negotiate preferential policies with the European Union ".

Companies refusing to pay the tax could be imposed a fine of 100 euros per tonne of CO2 or, in extreme cases, be denied landing rights in the 27 EU countries. But carriers have a period, because if the law is already in force, they can buy their license right to pollute for 2012 until April 30, 2013, and no sanctions will be applied before that date .

European shares are sharply higher Monday in mid-session, encouraged by the hope that European leaders propose new measures against the debt crisis at the approach of the EU summit of December 9. But traders believe the rebound mainly technical, due to purchases cheap, European values ​​being dropped last week to a low of seven weeks.

Around 12:20, the CAC 40 index advanced 3.6% (102 points) to 2959 points, rising to 3,000 points after falling 4.67% last week.

The London Stock Exchange gained 2.04%, 3.10% that of Frankfurt and Milan up 3.08%.

During the Franco-German summit in Strasbourg, Angela Merkel has made the ECB does not undertake more to calm soaring interest rates, preferring a stronger fiscal discipline to the States. But it is not safe for the German economy … Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin.

Markets continue to worry for Europe. The Paris Stock Exchange (-0.18%), Frankfurt (-0.54%) and London (-0.24%) have once again closed in the red on Thursday night. Investors were disappointed by the Franco-Germano-Italian held in Strasbourg, and has not provided an answer to soaring interest rates of the states of the euro area. Italian and rates again exceeded 7% in late afternoon.At this summit, Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy said they would do "proposals to improve the governance of the euro", refusing however to include a reform of the European Central Bank to establish as lender of last resort and thus relieve the rates. It was the wish of the French president, but Angela Merkel is always hostile. She prefers to impose a priority in budget control by Brussels that would oblige member states to return quickly to the nails of the Stability Pact. But this strategy is not without risk for Germany itself, as shown by recent events.

Interest rates on the rise

This is not a fire, but heat stroke has occurred. The rates at which to finance Germany jumped to 2.26% on Thursday, the highest since late August after a failed fundraising in the bond market Wednesday.

European shares rebound in early trade Tuesday, pending the announcement at 14:30 (Paris time) revised figures for U.S. growth in the third quarter after heavy fall the previous day, but concerns about the financial position Europe and the U.S. remain strong.

At 9:03, the CAC 40 index advance 1.37% to 2935.01 points after falling 3.41% yesterday.

The Milan Stock Exchange gained 1.35% (-4.74% Monday), the London 0.83% (-2.62% yesterday) and the place of Frankfurt 1.1% (-3.35% Monday ).

The European debt crisis continues to take its toll on both European and U.S. stock markets, the risk of contagion to the entire euro area, resulting in a rise in bond yields to unsustainable levels and that affects more only countries known as "devices".

"The market remains concerned about the implementation of these measures (austerity and anti-crisis), which are not detailed enough to be credible," said Emmanuel Cau, strategist at JPMorgan Cazenove,.

In Paris the CAC-40 ended on a loss of 1.78% to 3,010.29, surpassing those of his peers.