Iran says Iraq border incident a misunderstanding

The Iranian ambassador to Iraq Hassan Kazimi Qumi denied Iranian forces had infiltrated a well near the Fakka oilfield in Maysan province, saying that a joint committee will arrive to area soon and put an end to the crisis.In a news conference held in the capital Baghdad, Qumi said, The Iranian forces have not infiltrated into the region. But the Iranian border station is located 100 meters from the area, Qom said.When the joint committee arrives in the area, it will resolve the issue, he added. Eleven Iranian soldiers on Friday raised their country's flag over an oil well in a border area disputed by Iran and Iraq, but have since withdrawn slightly, giving up control of the well. Iraq has demanded a full withdrawal. The spat spooked oil markets, pushing up the price of crude, and heaped risk on a series of oil deals Iraq has agreed with global oil majors this year. The deals, awarded in Iraq's first energy auctions since the US-led invasion, could more than quadruple output capacity to rival global leader Saudi Arabia.The Iraqi troops have moved towards the area and after that both troops, the Iraqi and Iranian troops have withdrawn to the original bases, Qumi said. The Iranian incursion, which Iraq considers part of its Fakka oilfield in southeast Maysan province, met little apparent resistance from Iraqi forces.Iran said its troops seized the well in order to dismantle a barrier erected recently by Iraqi soldiers. The well, inoperative for decades, is considered small by local standards. Qumi said, This is not the first time for such a thing to happen as it happened many times before. These are normal things between the two countries. The symbolic importance of the seizure, and what many in Iraq saw as a weak response from Maliki, may be far greater.