BAGHDAD, Oct 19 (Reuters) - International oil companies signing deals with the Iraqi government are taking a big risk as the next government, to be elected in January, may revise or cancel those contracts, a senior lawmaker said on Monday.
"Oil companies, which expect to invest billions, should take into consideration the big risk behind these contracts. The new government will at a minimum alter the contract terms and that will not make the oil firms happy," Ali Hussain Balou, head of parliament's oil and gas committee, told Reuters.
"There are no guarantees for the oil companies that the new government will follow the same path in dealing with them. These contracts might be cancelled or at the very least revised," said Balou, a Kurdish lawmaker and sharp critic of Iraq's oil policy. (Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed; Editing by Michael Christie and Anthony Barker)