http://www.gulfkeystone.com/ The firms exploration programme in Algeria is going well and "the shares look good value", say the Investors Chronicle. Your comments please. goal.

18 March 2012 Sunday-Turkey, Iraq to increase oil trade
http://www.precogz.com/home/

THE TIMES-Sunday tip round-up: Sunday 18 Mar 2012
Gulf Keystone Petroleum, Rockhopper Exploration, Tesco, Vodafone Group, Glaxosmithkline, Bp, Rio Tinto, Unilever
http://www.precogz.com/home/

of 181633

Mirabeau's AKNews link is worth posting in part I think, so here it is.
There is more to the article, but mostly background.
---
Kurdish coalition: We will not allow the return to centralism to government
BAGHDAD, March 18 (AKnews)
- The Kurdish Blocs Coalition stated today that it will not allow the return of centralism in government, accusing Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Affairs Hussein al-Shahristani of exaggerating the differences between the Kurdistan Region and Baghdad.

Coalition spokesman Muayyid Tayyeb said: "Al-Shahristani gives a distorted picture to the world about the political process in Iraq, and his threatening for the oil companies depicts the dispute between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the central government as a dispute between two states."

He added that this dispute will serve neither Baghdad nor Erbil and will only make major oil companies reluctant to invest in Iraq.

He continued: "Shahristani did not succeed in managing the oil and gas file in the previous government and he failed in the current government and he is causing a lot of problems between the region and Baghdad because of his practices.

"Shahristani can't impose his vision on all political forces in Iraq and we have the legal means to prevent him from doing that. He is still following the old mentality that allows the minister in Baghdad to decide about everything. Centralism means lack of democracy and this is unconstitutional and the political blocs don't accept it."

mportant dates this week:

20th - Genel annual results
21st & 22nd - European oil conference in London - GKP presen Itin

http://www.aknews.com/en/aknews/4/296719/

UPSTREAM ONLINE-Iraq's Hormuz contingency plan, 19 March 2012 03:11 GMT
http://www.precogz.com/home/

CEO of Total has just stated on CNBC that he is discussing acquisitions of assets in Kurdistan with 4 companies.
edit.

his words on Kurdistan are:

"We are now more than looking, we are discussing, with (er) small companies who have already-existing assets, on how we could, in a relatively short period of time, enter into Kurdistan"

he doesn't mention '4' companies at all. he says "small companies", maybe that was just a mis-hearing on original poster's part.

http://www.moneyam.com/action/news/showArticle?id=4331117

Not sure i understand this RNS,as the number of shares is the same as reported on the 29thFeb? They have reported ONE EXTRA SHARE??

http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000079211

just came across this.

SF is none other than SpikeyDT, who is also behind the Precogz website which, in effect, is a TRADERS site; I am receiving daily emails from them due to my registration with Shareprice and all they do is identify patterns in charts and provide TRADING advice............

If you follow SF's tweets, understand that he will be putting made-up information in the public domain that he WANTS you to TRADE with, to make his TRADING website more accurate and thus more profitable.

Their's a strong possibllity that KRG are going to announce "INDEPENDENCE",this week and Wednesday is favorite?

They should have done so when Iraq was first invaded

There is no chance the KRG will announce independence and lots of rampers on III are going to look silly, just like they did with their "GKP taken over by end Feb 2012" nonsense.

They don't gain anything from being part of Iraq, so why not declare UDI!

Well, war with Iraq and also Turkey, who would both not accept a Kurdish state.

So unless you want to see all Kurdistan oilfields shut down due to war, you better hope that there is no UDI anytime soon.

http://aknews.com/en/aknews/2/296588/

civil war would be a disaster for iraq.

Not really surprise by T Hayward,only repeating info already known on BB,with no additional progress/

The Ber Bahr -1 well spudded in October 2011 and is testing a large surface anticline and major reservoir targets in the Jurassic and Triassic. Pre drill un-risked resources were estimated at 500mmboe and the well is expected to complete around the end of the second quarter of 2012. In the event of success we would conduct a 3D seismic program and drill the first appraisal well to the northwest of BerBahr-1.

http://www.uploadlibrary.com/foxdavies/GKPBUY200312.pdf
Gulf Keystone (GKP LN)

BUY Current Price: £2.53

Target Price: £3.20
Market Cap (M): £2248 Shares in Issue (M): 855



Value enhancement belied by the fall in share price



The shares have had a roller-coaster ride over the last few months, as the froth associated with bid speculation has driven the price. The recent operational update has provided further support for the prospectivity of GKP’s assets. Following review, we believe that the successes on Shaikan continue to derisk and enlarge the asset, and as such we raise our target price to 320p and reiterate our BUY recommendation.


• Shaikan Keeps Improving: With each successive test of the Shaikan structure, reserves have continued to improve. Shaikan – 4’s flow test results indicate that flow rates from individual horizons are in excess of initial expectations, and that comingled flow rates will exceed 14m bopd. With the latest flow test being focused on a previously untested reservoir horizon (in the Sargelu formation) and appraisal wells Shaikan – 5 & 6 and exploration well Shaikan – 7 aiming to test the deepest prospective undrilled horizons of the Shaikan structure all currently in progress, the scope for further upgrades is significant.


• A Successful Appraisal of the Akri-Bijeel Block Adds 8p to Valuations: Following the completion of the Bekhme-1 exploration well testing programme in December 2011, the Company has received results of an independent evaluation of estimated petroleum resources for the Aqra/Bekhme anticline on the block. While recognizing the fact that no hydrocarbons had flowed to the surface, the report has indicated that there could be up to 5.4bn bbl of oil-in-place. Bekhme adds 8p to our current valuation, so a failure would have very little impact, while a success based on 5.4bn bbl would have significant impact, potentially in excess of 150p.


• Ber Bahr Exploration Another Potential Catalyst: Ber Bahr – 1 exploration well is the next in line to provide an opportunity for a game changer given that GKP has a 40% interest in the block and is targeting resources of 1.5bn bbl; the recent lightning strike, while frustrating, is not sufficient cause for alarm.


• Export Route Underway: The Company has continued the migration of its Kurdistan discovery towards completion with the initiation of the tender process for the construction materials; this follows the earlier initiation of the construction and installation tender process. GKP is currently receiving bids with the technical and commercial evaluation to follow.


• Bid Speculation will Continue to Surround the Company: Save for the history of the country and the more recent sabre rattling from Baghdad, Kurdistan would have been developed before GKP, but as such the Company, along with a handful of other players, have been able to secure first mover advantage in the region. Consequently, once the issues between the Kurdistan Regional Government and Baghdad are resolved, we believe that the independent operators, such as GKP, will come in to play.


• The Longer GKP has Before a Bid, the Better: Given the issues in the region, it is unsurprising that this is not likely to be any time soon. However, this is better for the Company’s valuation as the more progress it achieves in the development cycle the more likely the Company is to receive a fuller valuation for its assets, especially if it is able to complete the export pipeline tendering process.


• Target Price Raised to 320p, Maintain BUY Recommendation: The recent test results and the Company’s continued march towards development means that even if no further hydrocarbons are found, GKPs asset value will improve as the effects of discount on valuations is unwound. As a result, we are upgrading our target price to 320p and reiterating our BUY recommendation.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2012/Mar-20/167363-iraqi-kurd-leader-hints-at-referendum-in-swipe-at-baghdad.ashxhttp://www.krg.org/articles/detail.asp?anr=43432&rnr=&areanr=60&smap=02010000&lngnr=12&utm_source=KRG&utm_medium=KRG.org