Ghana has not blocked $4bln Exxon deal -govt source

ACCRA Feb 9 (Reuters) - Ghana has not blocked a planned $4 billion oilfield stake sale by Kosmos Energy to Exxon Mobil (XOM.N) but still threatens to do so if the parties do not abandon the deal, a government source said on Tuesday.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that the government had blocked the deal, something it has been threatening to do since October, and would only allow the state oil company to buy the stake.

The source said the government had written to Exxon about the deal but had not gone beyond repeating the threat.

"We're telling them that we prefer that they don't continue ... and if they do, we'll not approve of it," the source said.

Kosmos sources have said the government can only block the deal if it can show the potential buyer lacks sufficient technical skills or financial strength -- a hurdle the world's largest non-government controlled oil company is unlikely to fail.

Analysts said if the government were to block the deal, it could face legal action from Kosmos and that the threats to block the deal could be aimed at scuppering it without opening itself to such a liability. (Reporting by Kwasi Kpodo, writing by Tom Bergin, editing by Will Waterman)