Khartoum denies blocking South Sudan oil flow
May 21, 2013 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese oil minister Awad Al-Jaz on Tuesday denied reports that his government hampered the exportation of South Sudan crude through the Heglig pipeline, stressing it functions normally. South Sudan’s Petroleum and Mining Minister Stephen Dhieu Dau (3rd R) applauds as he restarts oil production in the main oil field in Palouge, after a 16-month shutdown on May 5, 2013 (Reuters) In statements to the official news agency, SUNA, Al-Jaz said South Sudan’s oil is flowing normally on Sudanese soil to the export ports. “South Sudan’s oil is flowing normally on Sudanese soil to the export ports,” the Sudanese minister said, adding that, “Work between Sudan and South Sudan is continuing according to the joint cooperation plan signed between the two countries.” The oil minister added that the work between Sudan and South Sudan is continuing according to the matrix of the joint cooperation signed by the two countries. South Sudanese official under the cover of anonymity, in statement to Sudan Tribune on Monday, accused Khartoum of shutting down the pipeline transporting to Heglig the crude produced by Tharjath oil field in Unity state since three days. An official from the South Sudanese petroleum and mining ministry went to say that Sudanese security agents shut down the pipeline and chased the workers. The foreign affairs ministry on Monday summoned the Chinese ambassador over the alleged blockage of the oil flow by the Sudanese government. Mawien Makol Arik, the spokesperson for the ministry confirmed this, but said the summons had nothing to do oil blockage, but a “sudden” decline in South Sudan oil production. “The foreign affairs ministry did summon the Chinese ambassador to explain why there was a sudden decline in oil output, yet no explanations had been given,” Arik told Sudan Tribune Tuesday. He said the country’s oil production, in recent days, fell to just 105,000 barrels per day, from the 200,000 previously produced daily. “We suspected there was something wrong and that’s why we asked the Chinese envoy to meet us over the matter. Discussions are still in progress,” ministry spokesperson said. Chinese companies dominate the South Sudanese oil industry having been welcomed into Sudan before the South seceded from the north in 2011 taking with 75% of the country’s 350,000 barrels per day of oil production. South Sudanese oil production was halted in January 2012 due to a dispute between Khartoum and Juba over transit fees but, as part of a cooperation deal, production resumed last month. President Salva Kiir is scheduled to join his Sudanese counterpart Omar al-Bashir in to witness the first Southern crude to be exported from Port Sudan on the Red Sea for almost a year and a half. (ST) -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "South Sudan Info - The Kob" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/SouthSudanKob/CAJb14opdypQYEQt86oUaSiFrwfnjDkcCR62mfJFYS2Fi-tSUOw%40mail.gmail.com?hl=en-US. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
