Oil giants meet over Gulf spill

Moscow - BP chief Tony Hayward was scheduled to meet the Russian government's powerful energy supremo Igor Sechin on Monday to discuss the company's operations in Russia  as the oil giant wrestles with the liabilities from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Sechin, deputy prime minister with special responsibility for energy issues, and Hayward, are likely to centre round the effects of the spill on BP's operations in Russia.

The Financial Times reported earlier this month that Hayward wanted to travel to Russia to reassure President Dmitry Medvedev that the oil spill would not affect the company's operations.

BP is present in Russia through TNK-BP, the third largest oil producer in the country, accounting for roughly a quarter of BP's global production.

Medvedev in an interview with the the Wall Street Journal this month wondered whether the consequences of the environmental catastrophe would lead to the "annihilation" of the British oil giant.

The company this month announced a $20bn compensation fund to deal with claims arising from the spill.

A Kremlin spokesperson said that Medvedev "so far" had no plans to meet the oil giant's chief executive.

Vladimir Buyanov, a Moscow-based spokesperson for BP, confirmed that Hayward planned to travel to Russia on a two-day visit but declined to release further details, adding only that Hayward regularly visits Russia.

- AFP