UK's Gulf Keystone Petroleum Postpones Interim Statement

British oil producer Gulf Keystone Petroleum Ltd said it had delayed the release of its interim management statement to Nov. 13 as it was in talks with the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq.

Gulf Keystone returned its staff to the violence-hit Iraqi Kurdistan region earlier this month after evacuating them in August.

The company had said production at its flagship Shaikan field was only affected by security threats for a day in August.

Gulf Keystone also said it was postponing the release of its statement to co-ordinate with the reporting schedules of other producers in the area.

The company was scheduled to report on the status of its operations on Oct. 30.

London-listed peer Genel Energy Plc (GEGYF), which operates the Taq Taq and Tawke fields in Iraqi Kurdistan, is scheduled to report on Nov. 13 while Afren Plc will report on its operations on Oct. 30.

The Kurdistan Regional Government is seeking to expand its oil pumping capacity, despite opposition from the Baghdad government to its exports, even as it fights Islamic State militants.

(Reporting by Abhiram Nandakumar in Bangalore; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)