Italy -based Eni Spa (E) has written to the Ugandan government seeking a meeting with President Yoweri Museveni over its interest in the country's oil licenses in the Lake Albertine Graben, Uganda 's energy and minerals minister said Tuesday.

Uganda Energy Minister Hilary Onek said that Eni wrote to the president's office earlier this month expressing its "continued" interest in Uganda 's oil sector, and the president has already agreed to meet the company.

"They are interested in our oil sector, and I am coordinating their meeting with the president," Onek said in a phone interview.

Onek declined to reveal the exact date for the planned meeting.

An Eni spokesperson declined comment.

Eni is interested in the license of Block 3A, formerly licensed to U.K.-based Tullow Oil PLC (TLW.LN), according to a person familiar with the situation. The government repossessed the block in September after the expiry of its license.

The block is expected to be relicensed when Uganda reopens the next round of licensing early next year.

A Tullow spokesman declined comment.

Last year, Scaroni meet President Museveni in Kampala and following the meeting, Eni entered a $1.5 billion sales and purchase agreement with Heritage Oil PLC (HOIL.LN) to acquire Heritage's stakes in blocks 1 and 3A in the Lake Albertine Graben. However, Tullow exercised its rights to scupper the deal and completed the take over of the stakes itself in July.

However, a protracted tax dispute between government and Heritage has since delayed Tullow's farm out plans for the three blocks to Total SA (TOT) and China 's CNOOC (CEO).

In September, the government repossessed block 3A before Tullow could complete its transaction.

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