RIYADH, 17 January 2005 — Saudi Basic Industries Corp. (SABIC) said on Saturday it had lost an appeal against a United States court order awarding ExxonMobil Corp. SR1.563 billion ($416.8 million) over a contract dispute. The Middle East’s top petrochemical maker said it failed to overturn a 2003 court ruling in the US state of Delaware ordering it to pay ExxonMobil the amount to resolve a dispute covering their joint operations in Saudi Arabia.