> >from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Subject: Indonesia. Kazakh Oil. US Oil with Aust LandCouncils > > from The Sydney Morning Herald . May 17, 2000 >INDONESIA >"Wiranto quits politics after Timor probe." >By LINDSAY MURDOCH Herald Correspondent in Jakarta and agencies > >The former armed forces chief, General Wiranto, announced yesterday >he would quit politics after being questioned at the Attorney >General's office over atrocities in East Timor. But General Wiranto >told journalists there was no connection between his decision to >resign from Cabinet and the seven hours of evidence he gave about the >violence m East Timor, when he was of Defence and head of the armed >forces. > >He also said some soldiers and police officers under his command >had disobeyed orders after the violence erupted. He had tried hard to >make conditions secure, but violence still occurred, and some >officers had failed to follow his orders to prevent it, he >said. General Wiranto, who was removed as coordinating minister for >political and security affairs four months ago' after -a two-week >stand-off with President Abdurrahman Wahid, has been holding the >status of a non-active minister. He said he would possibly tell Mr. >Wahid of his decision today. He and another 32 military officers and >civilians have been named as suspects in the East Timor violence. > >But General Wiranto also defended the military forces, saying they >had succeeded in the job they were asked to do. He said his troops >saved the lives of thousands of United Nations personnel, foreign >journalists and tourists when rioting erupted after the result of >a UN ballot on the territory's future was announced. General Wiranto >said that when the previous president, Dr B. J. Habibie, announced >early in 1999 that East Timorese would have the option of autonomy or >independence, he had warned the government there would be a "critical >DA' of rebellion. > >Referring to the East Timorese as "lowly educated people", he said he >knew those opposed to independence would feel unsatisfied land >emotional. "Especially the ones that lost, they did not feel the >ballot process was fair," he said. The vote for independence was not >anticipated, because "we believed in the fairness and objectivity of >the UN". Although Mr. Wahid has said he would pardon General Wiranto >if he were found guilty in a court the decision to resign ahead of >further questioning by the Attorney General effectively ends his >career in humiliation. General Wiranto made a rapid rise through the >armed forces after serving as an adjutant to the former president, >Mr. Soeharto, between 1989 and 1993. He served as Jakarta military >commander from 1994 to 1996 and was appointed army chief of staff in >June 1997. > >Only months before Mr. Soeharto was forced from office amid bloodshed >in 1998 he appointed General Wiranto armed forces chief - an >appointment revoked by Mr. Wahid after he took office last >October. President Wahid said yesterday that he had asked his younger >brother, Mr. Hasyim Wahid, to retain his position at the powerful >Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA) despite accusations of >nepotism. Mr. Wahid told reporters he had asked his brother, >appointed as an "expert adviser", to remain "clean and honest" and >help IBRA's chairman, Mr. Cacuk Sudarijanto, deal with bad >debts. Indonesia's corruption watchdog said it would look into the >appointment > ******************* > > from The Sydney Morning Herald . May 17, 2000 >KAZAKH TREASURE >"Caspian oil find 'largest in 20 years'." > >Washington: A consortium of Western oil companies has found a vast >petroleum reserve in the Caspian Sea off the coast of Kazakhstan that >may well be the largest oil discovery anywhere in the world in the >past 20 years, according to United States officials and industry >sources. > >While efforts to map the confines of the vast field have just begun >after nine months of drilling, initial estimates of its size range >from 8 billion to more than 50 billion barrels of oil. If the 800- >square-kilometre deposit, called the Kashagan field, proves to >be anywhere near the higher estimate, it could surpass-the size of >the North Sea fields. The last oil find of comparable size was in >1979, also in Kazakhstan, when it was part of the Soviet Union. That >field, located onshore at Tengiz, is now being exploited by an >international consortium led by the US OH company Chevron Corp. > >The Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Mr. Qasymzhomart Toqaev, announced >last Tuesday that the consortium had found "big deposits of oil" but >refused to speculate about the size. The discovery should lead to >accelerated competition between the US and Russia for control over >pipelines being built, or planned, to transport growing volumes of >Caspian on to markets in Europe. > >The US Government has been promoting the construction of a $A4.16 >billion, 1,600-kilometre Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan on the >western side of the Caspian, through Georgie to the Turkish port of >Ceyhan on the Mediterranean coast. US officials want to prevent any >Caspian pipelines from running south through Iran and would also like >to stop Russia dominating all the export routes. > >But the proposed Baku-to-Ceyhan pipeline, capable of carrying a >million barrels a day, needs more Caspian oil to make it commercially >viable. US officials are hoping that Kazakhstan will solve this >problem by exporting more of its crude to Azerbaijan across the >Caspian in barges, or under it through a pipeline. > **************** > > from Sydney Morning Herald . May 17, 2000 > >"WHO HAS NEGOTIATED WHAT" > Cape York (Aboriginal )Land Council > >Negotiated Heads of Agreement with Chevron, developers of the $3.5 >billion gas pipeline between Papua New Guinea and Gladstone, in 1997. >Chevron to pay $6 million in compensation and assistance to >indigenous communities. The council faces deregistration by the >Federal Government, subject to appeal. > >CAPE YORK CORPORATION Private company with three non-beneficial, >shareholders - Noel Pearson (former Cape York Land Council chairman), >Richard Ahmat (Cape York Land Council chairman) and the estate of >Norma Chevathun. > >Cape York Corporation owns: >-- CAPE YORK COMMUNITY CONSULTING > Company established to disburse Chevron contractual funding. >-- BALKANU CAPE YORK DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION > >It received $350,000 from Chevron for studies organising negotiations >and other work. >Secretary - Gerhardt Pearson, Noel Pearson's brother. >FIRST NATIONS JOINT COMPANY > >The company established to disburse Chevron compensation funding. >Secretary is Frankie Deemal, Noel Pearson's cousin. Its sole >shareholder is Norman Johnson. > >BIRRI GUBBA ABORIGINAL CORPOPATION > >Received $400,000 from Chevron and $400,000 from Rio Tinto subsidiary >Pacific Coal, developer of the $500 million Hail Creek coalmine, for >studies, organising negotiations and other work. Placed in >liquidation in January. Formerly headed by Norman Johnson, who now >heads the Wirri Yuwiburra Touri Aboriginal Corporation. > >WIRRI YUWIBURRA COMMUNITY BENEFIT TRUST > ---- >Received $650,000 from Pacific Coal in compensation and assistance. >Some money unaccounted for. Further payments being withheld. > >----********************** > > from The Sydney Morning Herald . May 17, 2000 >"Resource group hopes to make everyone a winner" > By Greg Roberts > >The firebrand Aboriginal activist Noel Pearson is not accustomed to >singing the praises of giant multinational resource companies. But >he enthusiastically supports Chevron, the major partner in the >development of a $3.5 billion gas pipeline between Papua New Guinea >and Gladstone. Chevron's subsidiary South Pacific Pipeline is so >proud of its successful negotiations to win native title agreement >over its 2,100-kilometre pipeline that it has produced a promotional >video, Bridging the Gap. > >Pearson and fellow activist Norman Johnson feature prominently in it, >with Pearson commending Chevron for avoiding damaging Aboriginal >protests and costly legal challenges. And Johnson declared that the >negotiations showed Aborigines "are not opposed to development". The >Federal Government is so impressed it has hailed the >Chevron negotiations as a model for all developers, with the company >securing agreement in principle from 26 Aboriginal clans over what >will be Australia's biggest resource project. > >Chevron's plan to pump gas from reserves in the PNG Highlands to >Queensland were given a major impetus with last month's announcement >by Rio Tinto subsidiary Comalco that Gladstone is the preferred site >for its $1.4 billion alumina refinery. Johnson was also a central >figure in negotiations, completed in 1997, concerning central >Queensland's $500 million Hail Creek coalmine in the Bowen >Basin. That development is planned by another Rio Tinto subsidiary, >Pacific Coal The proposal has been put on ice in the wake of low >world coal prices, but the native title agreement has been welcomed >by an industry still coming to grips with the requirements and >complexities of the High Court's Wik decision. > >Pearson spearheaded the negotiations with Chevron as head of the Cape >York Land Council (CYLC), representing Far North Queensland >communities along the pipeline route. Johnson, as head of the Birri >Gubba Aboriginal Corporation, in the central Queensland town of >Sarina, was seen by both Chevron and Pacific Coal as the key to >winning over traditional owners further south, in the Bowen Basin. > >Now, however, all these negotiations have been tarnished by the >revelation that Birri Gubba has been placed in liquidation, with >auditors attempting to account for $800,000 paid to it by Chevron and >Pacific Coal for work done on their behalf (see story above). Under a >1997 agreement with the Wirri Yuwiburra Traditional Owners >Group, Pacific Coal agreed to pay up to $250,000 a year to >communities, on top of $600,000 for business development and cultural >heritage assistance. > >It has already paid $650,000 to a trust, some of which was passed to >Birri Gubba before it was placed in liquidation. Pacific Coal has >frozen further payments. For its part, Chevron has agreed to pay $6 >million in compensation and assistance and has left open the prospect >of communities having up to 2 per cent equity in the pipeline. But >some native title claimants are angry at being left out of >the negotiation loop. A leading member of the Wirri clan, Ross >Watson, compared the Pacific Coal agreement unfavourably with other >native title settlements, such as the $60 million package offered by >Pasminco for its $1 billion Century Zinc mine in north-west >Queensland. > >"Most people oppose Hail Creek but if it is to go ahead, we want more >than these beads and blankets... he said. Watson said both Pacific >Coal and Chevron had ignored some traditional owners and could face >legal action. But both companies insist they have gone to lengths to >talk to the right people; Pacific Coal says its package is >reasonable. > >A 1997 memorandum required Chevron to communicate with "the >Aboriginal community" only through, or in the presence of, a >nominated CYLC representative. The memorandum said the community had >authorised the CYLC to negotiate and that the council had appointed >Pearson as a representative. Pearson strongly defends his role with >Chevron: "Rather than sit back and comment on a project that is going >to walk over the top of you, it makes commercial sense that you get >to understand the company and are seen as partners ... Then you will >see the benefits and opportunities offered..." Chevron has paid >$350,000 to the Balkanu Cape York Development Corporation, a private >company, for contracted work associated with the negotiations. > >Balkanu has also done contracted work for the CYLC. Questions about >these contracts were central to the findings of an AT'SIC review that >the CYLC had failed to meet key financial accountability standards >and proved it was representative of its communities. The CYLC will >appeal but is unlikely to be recognised from July I by the Federal >Government as a representative native title body and is expected to >be stripped of public funding. A new group, the Aboriginal >Corporation of West Coast Cape York Peninsula, is expected to be >approved by the Aboriginal Affairs Minister, John Herron. > >The secretary of Chevron's First Nations, Frankie Deemal, blames >internal Aboriginal politics for the assault on the CYLC, and >misgivings about Chevron. "When you get 25 or 3O groups together you >are not going to satisfy everybody," Deemal said. "You might have one >or two people who are always going to be disgruntled." South Pacific >Pipeline's community affairs manager, Terry Piper, does not regard >the Birri Gubba developments as significant He pointed out that >under the Petroleum Act, Chevron was not required to negotiate with >the claimants of land where native title had been extinguished, but >was doing so anyway. "We want agreement with all the groups >regardless of whether native title continues," Piper said. "We don't >want to see losers in this. We want everyone to be winners." " JC > > > > __________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi ___________________________________ [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe/unsubscribe messages mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________
