"The board of Spain's Repsol unanimously agreed on Wednesday to start formal talks with Argentina over a compensation offer for assets Buenos Aires seized last year that could end an 18-month standoff between the two countries".
"Sources with knowledge of the matter have told Reuters that the deal is worth $5 billion (£3.07 billion), half of what Repsol was initially demanding after Argentina seized its majority stake in energy company YPF in 2012".
"With the aim of developing a preliminary agreement, Repsol has decided to start talks soon between its teams and the Argentine government to find a fair, efficient and quick solution to the controversy," Repsol said in a statement, without providing details of the offer.
It has hired an international investment bank to oversee the process.
So any deal has significance beyond Repsol's own interests, particularly for Argentina as it seeks to restore investor confidence.
Argentine President Cristina Fernandez is trying to attract the billions of dollars needed to exploit the Vaca Muerta (Dead Cow) shale formation to help bolster central bank reserves drained in part by costly oil and gas imports.
"Signing a deal between Repsol and the Argentine state will provide the confidence necessary to form new alliances with potential investors and drive non-conventional exploration," YPF chief Miguel Galuccio told Reuters in an interview conducted by email.
Sources have said the settlement, which has the backing of the Argentine and Spanish governments, was likely to be in the form of U.S. dollar-denominated 10-year sovereign bonds rather than cash.
Repsol said its entire board voted to support the Spanish oil company's strategy and management team on Wednesday, with the exception of Pemex, which holds 9.4 percent of Repsol.
In a separate statement, Pemex said it voted against Repsol's current management "because it had not offered desirable results for the company and its shareholders", but said it would continue to work in support of the company's best interests.
Repsol's other main shareholders include Catalan lender La Caixa with 12 percent, indebted Spanish builder Sacyr with 9.5 percent and Singapore state fund Temasek with 6.3 percent.
Source: Reuters
