Royal Dutch Shell is "very interested" in working in Iraq if the judicial, safety and human rights conditions are met, the company's chief executive Jeroen van der Veer said Monday.
Van der Veer was attending the 19th World Petroleum Congress, one of the most important events of the oil industry which brought together thousands of experts from some 60 countries in the Spanish capital Madrid.
"We have various ideas" concerning possible activities in Iraq, van der Veer said, adding it would hopefully be a question of "weeks, not months" before decisions were taken, reported dpa.
Yet working in Iraq would require an understanding of the judicial conditions there, safety for staff and the fulfilment of "business principles" including the respect for human rights, van der Veer explained.
Antonio Brufau, chairman of the Spanish oil company Repsol, said it would be a "matter of months" before his company might work in Iraq.
Brufau said oil prices were unlikely to reach the level of 200 dollars per barrel, which was "technically unjustifiable."