Total to Sign Contracts to Extend Syrian Oilfield Operations

By Francois de Beaupuy and Tara Patel

Sept. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Total SA, Europe's third-largest oil company, will sign contracts today extending operations at Syrian oilfields for 10 years, Chief Executive Officer Christophe de Margerie said.

``The extension will allow us to work with a more long term vision,'' de Margerie told reporters in Damascus, where he's accompanying French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Total will also sign a contract for natural gas production related to the oilfields and a general cooperation agreement with Syria's national oil and gas companies, he said.

Sarkozy, who holds the European Union's rotating six-month presidency, is making his first visit to Syria as he tries to improve diplomatic relations that deteriorated after the 2005 assassination of Lebanon's former premier Rafiq Hariri.

To contact the reporter on this story: Francois de Beaupuy in Damascus at fdebeaupuy@bloomberg.netTara Patel in Paris at tpatel2@bloomberg.net