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Gold/Mining/Energy : Lundin Oil (LOILY, LOILB Sweden) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Edward M. Zettlemoyer who wrote (1717)	6/16/2000 10:20:00 PM
From: Tomas	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 2742

Sudan: Energy Ministry Official Outlines Oil Exploration Plans Text of report in English by Sudanese news agency Suna on 16th June Khartoum, 16th June: Undersecretary of the Ministry of Energy and Mining Engineer Hasan Muhammad Ali al-Tawm [has] announced that the plan of his ministry to explore oil includes three new areas: northwestern Sudan, Blue Nile Basin [southeastern Sudan] and Red Sea [eastern Sudan]. He explained that the promotion operations will start in the coming month. Interviewed by Sudan news agency (Suna) on the occasion of the 11th anniversary of the National Salvation Revolution and inauguration of several oil establishments, Engineer al-Tawm said that work in the blocks (3) and (7) in Rabak and White Nile areas [central Sudan] will start after the autumn. He added that the oil exploration has been concentrated in southcentral Sudan, continuing the works of Chevron Company. He explained that this area constitute only 15 per cent of the oil areas in the Sudan. Engineer al-Tawm attributed the Sudan's success in exploiting its oil resources to many reasons, including setting up the strategies necessary to remove the impediments and attracting the international traditional companies, which have substantial financial and technical capabilities and have no political agenda, and establishing a consortium between these companies. He pointed out that Sudan has mobilized its national general and private sectors to serve the oil projects as one of the top development priorities. Source: Suna news agency, Khartoum, in English 1250 gmt 16 Jun 00

To: Edward M. Zettlemoyer who wrote (1717)	6/21/2000 7:52:00 PM
From: Tomas	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 2742

New York Times, June 21: Spurned Sudan, Looking for Foreign Support, Says It Has Changed By BARBARA CROSSETTE UNITED NATIONS, June 20 -- Sudan, joining a growing list of pariah nations, is trying to create a new image for itself by engaging more positively with the world, the Sudanese ambassador to the United Nations said today. Sudan's immediate goals are ambitious. It is seeking African support for a regional seat on the Security Council beginning next year. It is also lining up international backing for a lifting of sanctions imposed four years ago when Sudan was accused of harboring suspects in an attempted assassination of President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt. Both intentions present problems for the United States, which keeps Sudan on its list of nations supporting international terrorism because, the Clinton administration says, the Sudanese government maintains links with Osama bin Laden, a financier of Islamic militancy. Diplomats say the United States has been working behind the scenes to persuade other African nations to deny the Sudanese one of the council's seats, which are rotated within regions. Some African envoys say the Americans have suggested that if Sudan withdraws its request for a seat, Washington may look more favorably on other issues involving Sudan, though no promises have been made about sanctions. American diplomats and Sudan's ambassador, Elfatih Mohamed Ahmed Erwa, deny that any direct talks have taken place between them. In an interview, Mr. Erwa said that no deal would be possible because Sudan would lose all credibility among Africans if it backed down. "We are not battling against the United States," Mr. Erwa said. "Does the United States decide who goes to the Security Council or not?" Rather, he said, Sudan's president, Omar el-Bashir, has taken steps that demand a new look at Sudan. In recent months, President Bashir has sidelined Hassan al-Turabi, a powerful Islamic politician with whom he had shared power for years. The move, other diplomats say, could be risky because Mr. Turabi commanded a significant following. The government has also made some gestures toward negotiating an end to a destructive civil war with Christians and African traditionalists in the south who have refused to accept the Islamic government. "The U.S. wants to see a change of behavior," Mr. Erwa said. "We think in Sudan there has been lots of change of behavior." The Sudanese, in a letter to the Security Council this month, said that sanctions imposed in 1996, a year after the attack on Mr. Mubarak, were no longer relevant because Sudan had reached an agreement with Egypt, the aggrieved party, and Ethiopia, where the attack took place. Both accepted Sudan's argument that the suspects were no longer in Sudan, where they were believed to have hidden, and that the government had tried to find them. Diplomats say it will be hard for the United States to indefinitely block a council resolution lifting sanctions because they were applied largely on Egypt's behalf. The sanctions, including diplomatic curbs on Sudanese officials abroad and an embargo on Sudanese flights, were not strictly enforced, diplomats say. When Washington attacked a pharmaceutical factory in Khartoum in August 1998, the strike was not related to United Nations sanctions but was in retaliation for what Americans said were Sudanese links to terrorists whom Washington held responsible for the bombing of its embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

To: Edward M. Zettlemoyer who wrote (1717)	6/24/2000 6:18:00 PM
From: Tomas	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 2742

Sudanese Oil Is Internationally Appreciated Khartoum, June 24 (SUNA)- Minister of Energy and Mining, Dr. Awad Ahmed Al-Jaz, pointed out that the Sudanese crude oil has received wide international appreciation, adding that no problem is facing the Sudanese oil marketing. He said in a press conference he held Saturday at the premises of the Ministry of Energy and Mining that the Sudanese crude oil was marketed in different countries in Asia, South America, Africa the Middle East and Canada. Dr. Al-Jaz said that Sudan received great welcome from the Gulf oil producing countries. He said that Gulf countries and companies expressed their desire to cooperate with Sudan and to provide it with expertise in the fields of legislations and regulations and training of Sudanese cadres. Meanwhile, the minister stressed that the National Planning Council has fixed the priorities for utilizing the revenues from Sudanese oil exports, top of them is rehabilitating setting up basic infrastructures at the war-affected areas. He denied allegations that oil was the cause of conflict in Sudan. He referred to the services and basic infrastructures which were established at the oil production areas, such as Mujlad, Wohda, Bentiu, Mayom, Rabkona, Fariang, Abu-Jabra, Nuba Mountains and the Red Sea State.

To: Edward M. Zettlemoyer who wrote (1717)	6/30/2000 7:02:10 AM
From: Tomas	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 2742

Hints of Peace in War-Torn Sudan - Stratfor Global Intelligence update, June 30 "a truce appears to be breaking out in Sudan" Summary After 17 years of civil war, there are sudden hints of peace in Sudan. The government of President Omar Bashir and one of the chief rebel groups, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army/Movement (SPLA/M) may have worked out a tacit deal to lay aside hostilities. The government has been strangely mute as the rebels take advantage of the renewed flow of international aid, and the battlefield has been comparatively quiet. If not the beginning of a formal peace, a truce appears to be breaking out in Sudan. Analysis On June 28, OXFAM, an international relief organization, confirmed that it would resume operations in rebel-held areas of southern Sudan. In early March, several aid agencies, including OXFAM, had suspended operations after refusing to sign an agreement giving the rebels control and oversight over all relief operations. Only the United Nations and some private agencies continued to supply food. Now, several more agencies have conceded to the rebel demands and will sign the agreement; international relief agencies are effectively acting as if the rebels are the legal local government. Aside from the symbolism, the flow of aid will practically benefit the rebels; they will oversee it and charge organizations a fee for operating in the south. On the face of the matter, these developments would seem to fuel the war. As a result, it seems odd that President Omar Bashir has chosen to remain silent about the rebels’ new policy. Bashir’s silence, however, may be in line with the government’s newly conciliatory policy towards the rebels. On the battlefield, fighting continues but neither side is now attacking the revenues of the enemy; the government is letting aid resume, and the rebels in the south have only staged two attacks on a major oil pipeline since March 1999. The southern-based rebel group, the SPLA/M, insisted on controlling aid agencies in order to gain some oversight over their efforts and the flow of aid. Approximately 30 non-governmental organizations have been providing relief in the south. By essentially acting as a local government, the rebels will gain strength. First, the rebels charge a fee for operating in their area. Second, they get to use the NGO's transport and equipment, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. In fact, the SPLA/M has already created a quasi-governmental body to work with the relief agencies, the Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Association (SRRA). Working in tandem with relief agencies will bolster the rebels’ support among the local populace. The new legal distinction is important. The rebels have always used stolen relief aid to feed soldiers and fuel the war. At this juncture in the war, the government finds itself in a position of relative weakness. In addition to the SPLA/M in the south, government troops are fighting the Umma party in the north and several minor insurgent groups. In Khartoum, the president himself is facing a continuing, if albeit minor, challenge from his former mentor and advisor, Hassan Turabi. The fundamentalist Islamic leader recently formed his own political party after being dismissed from the leadership of Bashir’s ruling National Congress Party. Although Bashir has managed to effectively undercut Turabi’s power base, the Islamic leader continues to challenge his former protégé. In a country where more than 70 percent of Sudan’s 34 million population adhere to Islam, Turabi continues to be a political force. The government is also worried about protecting its most important industry: oil. A 930-mile pipeline, inaugurated in May 1999 carries oil from Sudan’s southern oil fields to the Red Sea Port Sudan. While the government’s military provides security for the pumping stations and the pipeline, the pipeline remains a vulnerable target. The continued development of the country’s oil industry relies, at least in part, upon the rebels’ cooperation. Facing a history of conflict and animosity, the president may well see the benefits of cutting deals instead of trying to fight. stratfor.com