Another Canadian company with an interest in Sudan is Lundin Oil
which is controlled by Vancouver's Lundin family
From National Post, November 26
By Paul Waldie, Claudia Cattaneo and Kathryn Leger
Lundin Oil has a 40% interest in a 30,000 square kilometre oil
deposit near Talisman's operations. The area is believed to be one
of the world's last major oil basins and contains an estimated three
billion barrels of oil. One of Lundin Oil's original partners in the
project was supposed to be Occidental Petroleum Corp. of Los
Angeles. However, Occidental backed out in 1997 after pressure
from the U.S. government.
Lundin Oil is actively working the area and has begun some
preliminary drilling. Lundin Oil is part of a vast network of
resource companies controlled by Adolf Lundin and his sons
Lukas and Ian.
Mr. Lundin was born in Sweden and now lives in Geneva,
Switzerland, along with Ian who runs Lundin Oil. Lukas lives in
Vancouver and runs the family's mining interests. All three are
directors of Lundin Oil and major shareholders.
None of the Lundins were available for comment yesterday, but
one company official said the Sudanese operations are a key part
of the family's holdings.
"It's very active, it's going very well," said Andrew Harber who
works out of Lundin Oil's office in London.
He added Talisman is being criticized unfairly over Sudan. And,
he said Lundin has not been affected by the civil war. "We're
more affected by the weather situation than we are by the war."
Lundin Oil also has a history of operating in dicey areas. Lundin
Oil has a large project in Libya and once operated in Somalia.
In 1997, one of the Lundin family's mining companies, which owns
one of the world's largest copper deposits, was nearly run out of
Zaire when it got caught in a civil war.
"We like to find interesting places to invest," Mr. Harber said with
a laugh.
Adolf Lundin, 67, has pushed his companies into difficult places
because, he once said, that is the only place to find untapped
resources.
"If you want to find big deposits today, you have to go to
countries which are not popular," he once said in an interview with
the Financial Post.
___________________________________________
The above is part of a longer very interesting article, see below:
Influential Desmarais family has ties to Sudan
TotalFina's oil interest
Paul Waldie, Claudia Cattaneo and Kathryn Leger
National Post, November 26
Canada's involvement in Sudan goes beyond one oil company and
includes links to Montreal's powerful and politically connected
Desmarais family.
Sudan's government has been condemned recently by the United
Nations and the United States for sponsoring terrorism and killing
its own people to keep money flowing from local oil projects.
Canada has also been harshly criticized for not putting sanctions
on Sudan. The government has appointed a special envoy to
investigate the allegations and is awaiting that report before
deciding if sanctions are warranted.
Calgary's Talisman Energy has a project in Sudan and has faced
the brunt of international criticism for continuing to work in the
African country.
However, two other Canadian-linked companies also have ties to
Sudan -- Lundin Oil and Power Corp.
Paul Desmarais Sr., Power Corp.'s chairman, is a director of
TotalFina SA, a French oil company with a large play in Sudan.
Power Corp. is also one of TotalFina's biggest shareholders. It
will indirectly own 3.3% of the company once TotalFina
completes a merger with another French oil giant, Elf Aquitaine.
Mr. Desmarais' involvement in TotalFina is part of a series of
deals in Europe with Albert Frere, a Belgian tycoon. The two men
have been business associates since the early 1980s and today
Power Corp. and Mr. Frere's company control several European
companies through a partnership.
Mr. Desmarais' son Andre is married to the daughter of Jean
Chretien, the Prime Minister. Andre and his brother Paul Jr.
co-head Power Financial Corp., a subsidiary of Power Corp.
The Desmarais family is also close to former prime ministers Brian
Mulroney and Pierre Trudeau.
Paris-based TotalFina is one of the world's largest oil companies
and it has had an exploration permit in Sudan since 1980. Mr.
Desmarais has been a director of TotalFina since January. Two
other members of the Desmarais-Frere partnership also have
seats on the board.
Mr. Desmarais was unavailable for comment but a Power
spokesman said the Sudanese project is inactive although the
permit is renewed regularly.
Total's permit "has never been activated because of the civil war
and the conflict there," the spokesman said. The rights "have been
renewed since then, but no work has ever been done."
The spokesman added that TotalFina has a corporate ethics
policy that stipulates it not undertake work in countries declared
to be politically off-limits by either the French government or the
United Nations.
"I wouldn't say we have significant influence with 3.3%," the
spokesman added.
Total has been in hot water before over its projects. In 1996, it
was one of the few oil companies to ignore American sanctions
against Iran. Total also operates in Libya which has been a target
of international criticism for harbouring terrorists.
One of Total's partners in its Sudanese permit is Marathon Oil
Co. of Houston. Marathon officials were not available for
comment but the U.S. government has been among the harshest
critics of Talisman's operation in Sudan.
Madeleine Albright, the U.S. secretary of state, has urged Canada
to stop Talisman from operating in Sudan and to pressure the
Sudanese government to stop terrorizing its people. No one was
available at the state department last night to comment.
Another Canadian company with an interest in Sudan is Lundin
Oil which is controlled by Vancouver's Lundin family.
Lundin Oil has a 40% interest in a 30,000 square kilometre oil
deposit near Talisman's operations. The area is believed to be one
of the world's last major oil basins and contains an estimated three
billion barrels of oil. One of Lundin Oil's original partners in the
project was supposed to be Occidental Petroleum Corp. of Los
Angeles. However, Occidental backed out in 1997 after pressure
from the U.S. government.
Lundin Oil is actively working the area and has begun some
preliminary drilling. Lundin Oil is part of a vast network of
resource companies controlled by Adolf Lundin and his sons
Lukas and Ian.
Mr. Lundin was born in Sweden and now lives in Geneva,
Switzerland, along with Ian who runs Lundin Oil. Lukas lives in
Vancouver and runs the family's mining interests. All three are
directors of Lundin Oil and major shareholders.
None of the Lundins were available for comment yesterday, but
one company official said the Sudanese operations are a key part
of the family's holdings.
"It's very active, it's going very well," said Andrew Harber who
works out of Lundin Oil's office in London.
He added Talisman is being criticized unfairly over Sudan. And,
he said Lundin has not been affected by the civil war. "We're
more affected by the weather situation than we are by the war."
Lundin Oil also has a history of operating in dicey areas. Lundin
Oil has a large project in Libya and once operated in Somalia.
In 1997, one of the Lundin family's mining companies, which owns
one of the world's largest copper deposits, was nearly run out of
Zaire when it got caught in a civil war.
"We like to find interesting places to invest," Mr. Harber said with
a laugh.
Adolf Lundin, 67, has pushed his companies into difficult places
because, he once said, that is the only place to find untapped
resources.
"If you want to find big deposits today, you have to go to
countries which are not popular," he once said in an interview with
the Financial Post.
An official in Canada's foreign affairs office did not comment
directly on Power or Lundin. However, he said the mission of the
envoy to Sudan will apply to all Canadian companies operating in
Sudan. The envoy, John Harker, is expected to interview
Sudanese and foreigners to get a clear picture of what is
happening in the country and where oil revenue is headed, the
official said. Mr. Harker's report is expected by the end of the
year.
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