* Expects Baghdad to approve Kurdistan oil contracts
* CEO says other North Iraq oil firms candidates for M&A
By Ercan Ersoy
LONDON, June 11 (Reuters) - Oil company Genel Energy International is confident its focus on politically charged Iraqi Kurdistan will not prevent it doing business with Baghdad both there and, if opportunities arise, in the country's south.
The unlisted Turkish firm, which two days ago announced a $5.5 billion merger with UK-based oil explorer Heritage Oil, also expects further M&A activity among the 35 oil firms operating Iraq's northern Kurdish region.
"We believe that there will be more consolidation," Genel Energy's chief executive Mehmet Sepil told Reuters in an interview on Thursday.