UPDATE 1-CNOOC sees Nexen deal closed in Q1 at earliest
December 28, 2012 at 00:04 AM EST
BEIJING, Dec 28 (Reuters) - China's CNOOC Ltd said on Friday it expects its $15.1 billion takeover of Canadian oil and gas producer Nexen Inc to close in the first quarter of 2013 at the earliest, a move that could be aimed at giving U.S. regulators more time to approve a sensitive aspect of the deal.
