* Iraq's request to Turkish state energy company BOTAS came
after
traders buying crude from the Kurdistan region signed contracts
with Iraq's state-owned crude marketer SOMO on Tuesday and
Wednesday following weeks of discussions.
* The timing of the pipeline restart, however, remains
uncertain.
* Russia's Deputy Energy Minister Pavel Sorokin held a call
this
month with Western analysts about country's oil production,
trying to convince them that Russia had reduced output as
targeted.
PLATTS WINDOW
* No bids or offers were made for Urals, Azeri BTC or CPC
Blend in
the Platts window on Thursday, traders said.
NEWS
* OPEC on Thursday further raised its forecast for Chinese
oil
demand growth in 2023 following the relaxation of the country's
COVID-19 curbs.
* For Chinese independent refiners who have been avid buyers
of
cheap Russian crude in the aftermath of sanctions on Moscow,
intermediaries have played a key role as the trade has switched
from dollar settlement to China's yuan, industry sources said.
* FACTBOX - China's oil, commodities import from
Russia.
(Reporting by Reuters;)
MOSCOW, May 11 (Reuters) - Urals crude differentials
were steady again on Thursday in quiet trade, while Iraq
requested Turkey to restart flows via 450,000 barrels per day
(bpd) Iraq-Turkey pipeline that have been shut in for almost
seven weeks.
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