Oil affairs in Kuwait

This file concerns oil affairs in Kuwait. It contains correspondence relating to:

• The political use of oil in the Arab-Israeli conflict
• Explosions at Kuwait Oil Company Limited (KOC) oil fields and pipelines and suspicions of sabotage
• Changes in oil prices following the devaluation of the US dollar
• The Kuwaiti Government’s demand for greater participation in the affairs of oil companies
• Reports on oil issues in the Arab, British and Soviet media
• Fears that oil supplies are being exhausted and the possibility of Kuwait limiting its annual oil production
• The Kuwaiti Government’s desire to diversify its sources of revenue
• Oil production and export figures for KOC, the American Independent Oil Company (AMINOIL), and the Arabian Oil Company Limited (AOC)
• The implications of increased oil revenues for oil-producing countries
• Kuwaiti Government policy on the production and use of natural gas
• A report on the discovery of oil in southwest Kuwait by the Kuwait-Spanish Petroleum Company
• Anger in the Kuwaiti National Assembly at oil companies’ refusal to implement labour laws and talk of nationalisation
• A clash between oil companies and the Iraqi Government, and expressions of support for Iraq from Kuwait, Libya, the UAE and Venezuela
• The establishment of a separate Kuwaiti Government ministry for oil
• The visit of a British financial delegation to Kuwait, and discussions around the currency used for oil payments
• Rumours that the Kuwait National Petroleum Company is in talks to acquire a facility in Batam, Indonesia
• Details of oil concessions in Kuwait, with financial data and maps
• The signing of a participation agreement with oil multinationals jointly with Saudi Arabia, Iraq, the UAE and Qatar
• Oil legislation
• An agreement on buy-back prices