National oil company Petronas has played down suggestions in news reports that its chief executive officer Mohd Hassan Marican ( photo ) could be a prospective candidate to run the Iraqi national oil company in the post-war reconstruction of that country.

Two British newspapers named Hassan as o­ne of two possible candidates who could be considered for the post should the Bush administration decide to appoint a Muslim figure to deflect accusations that the US intends to grab Iraq's oil reserves for itself.