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Gold/Mining/Energy : TLM.TSE Talisman Energy -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Tomas who wrote (1183)	4/6/2001 2:32:20 AM
From: Douglas V. Fant	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 1713

Tomas, I am surprised that noone posted information about today's airplane accident. The presence (and death) of so many top NIF military officials should tell one something..... UN asks oil firms to reconsider Sudan: War worse: new report By ALEX LAWLER Financial Post – (Canada) April 4, 2001 LONDON - A United Nations report said oil production in Sudan is worsening an 18-year-old civil war in the African country and urged companies operating there, such as Lundin Oil and Talisman Energy Inc. of Calgary, to reconsider their operations. The Sudanese government is destroying villages and evicting people to allow oil operations to proceed, said the report by Gerhart Baum, a UN human rights official for Sudan, a copy of which was received from Lundin's London office by e-mail. Lundin rejected that the presence of foreign oil companies is amplifying the conflict. Sudan, a country of 20.5 million people that began producing oil in June, 1999, is amidst a civil war and widespread drought. The nation exported 64 million barrels of oil in the year ended Aug. 1, worth some US$1.6-billion. "I appeal to all oil companies operating in Sudan to review their engagement with a view to complying with their corporate responsibilities," Mr. Baum said in the report. During a visit to Sudan, he said he found "evidence that oil exploitation leads to an exacerbation of the conflict and bears consequences to civilians." All villages around Nialdhu, in Nimne, south of Bentiu, have been burned to the ground and crops destroyed, according to the report, while villages along the road to Pulteri, surrounding oil fields at Rier, have been razed, it said. Still, Mr. Baum said the government had told him oil exploration brought benefits. "Government officials informed me of the social benefits linked to the oil exploitation and assured me that displaced individuals are compensated accordingly," it said. Lundin Oil, exploring with partners OMV AG and Malaysia's Petronas, said that while working in Sudan presented challenges, the company was able to make a "positive difference" by operating in the country. Lundin criticized the UN official for not visiting any of the oil-producing areas and invited him to visit the company's operations. Talisman has 25% of a venture with Petronas and CNPC which produces more than 200,000 barrels of oil daily, equal to about 10% of its worldwide production. David Mann, a Talisman spokesman, said the company's involvement in the country was consistent with Canada's policy of "constructive engagement" with Sudan. "Talisman is doing extremely good things in Sudan -- drilling water wells, building schools and hospitals," he said.