UPDATE 1-Eni says "not great moment" for Kashagan talks

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ROME, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Eni's (ENI.MI) chief executive said on Sunday it was "not a great moment" for the talks that the Italian oil company and its partners were holding with the Kazakh government on the Kashagan oil field.

"I would not say that this is a great moment," Paolo Scaroni told reporters on the sidelines of the World Energy Congress, which opened on Sunday.

"But we still have time," he added. "The consortium has created a team that is negotiating and so we still need a few days."

Kazakhstan has set Nov. 30 as the final deadline in its talks with Eni and its partners that are developing the world's biggest oil discovery in three decades.

But Scaroni said he hoped for a solution by the end of the year, adding that the deadline could be flexible.

"As always, this deadline was set by us. So if we are close to a solution, well, we could extend it. It is not as if we live in a world of ultimatums."

Kazakhstan has criticised Eni and its partners for delays and cost overruns and demanded billions of dollars in compensation. It has also called for a bigger role for state oil company KazMunaiGas RDGZ.KZ.

Kazakhstan has threatened to take "adequate" measures if the dispute is not settled by the deadline.