---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: John Ashworth <[email protected]> Date: Thu, Jun 27, 2013 at 2:24 AM Subject: [sudan-john-ashworth] South Sudan moves closer to oil pipeline to the south To: Group <[email protected]>
In view of Ambassador Page's comments (article 2, below) it might be worth noting that there is some speculation in Juba that one of the reasons Khartoum is supporting David Yau Yau's attempts to destabilise Jonglei State is precisely to prevent international oil companies from exploring and developing the oil fields in Jonglei. John BEGIN 1. South Sudan moves closer to oil pipeline to the south BBC 26 June 2013 Last updated at 12:29 South Sudan has moved closer to its target of gaining access to a pipeline to export its oil to the south. The presidents of Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda have agreed to build two pipelines across East Africa. One would run from South Sudan to the Kenyan port city of Lamu and the other would stretch from Rwanda to Mombasa. Currently, South Sudan exports its oil through Sudan and supplies are often disrupted as the two countries disagree over pricing and security issues. The three-way agreement between the presidents was confirmed by Uganda's foreign minister, Sam Kutesa. Last week, Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir threatened again to stop oil flows across its border with South Sudan, unless South Sudan stops supporting rebels operating across the shared frontier. South Sudan denies supporting rebels and, in turn, accuses Khartoum of backing insurgents on its soil. When South Sudan became independent nearly two years ago, it took 75% of the oil reserves of Sudan. However, Sudan retained the pipeline infrastructure, as well as the refineries and export terminal at Port Sudan on the Red Sea. East Africa is experiencing an energy boom at the moment, after oil and gas discoveries in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. New railway Mr Kutesa said the three countries had also agreed to build a railway line from Kenya through Uganda to Rwanda. "It was agreed to revamp the existing railway network and also construct a standard gauge railway line in Kenya and Uganda and also extend it to Rwanda," he said. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23065592 END1 2. US companies "interested" in South Sudan’s oil, says ambassador June 26, 2013 (JUBA) - The US Ambassador to Juba, Susan Page said on Wednesday that companies from her country were interested in South Sudan’s oil, when asked about the subject at a press conference. The American government helped negotiate the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between then government of Sudan and Southern rebels of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), which allowed the South to secede in July 2011. Ambassador Page disclosed that the US has donated $600 million to the new country in the last six years in aid to towards health, education and agriculture. South Sudan’s oil industry is dominated by the companies that did deals with Khartoum before secession in 2011, with China, Malaysia and India besides France’s Total which holds a large but unexploited concession in Jonglei state. Page pointed out that the US government does not "have oil companies as part of their machinery of the government" in the same way as other countries but said that among the US’s "independent" companies "there is a lot of interest oil and gas companies". American companies were beginning to come to South Sudan, which she said was beginning to open up to more wider investment in the oil industry. The SPLM government has "divided some of the blocks and sub-divided some of the blocks that have previously been granted and there is real interest in a number of American companies", the Ambassador said. Many US companies are already operating in South Sudan in the field of exploration and logistics, she added. In January 2012, South Sudan stopped oil production over a dispute with Khartoum, which appeared to have been resolved when export of Southern crude resumed earlier this year. However, Sudan accused Juba of backing rebels north of the border and has threatened to stop oil production within two months it continues to harbour and support them. Page noted that most international companies want to see a "stable and peaceful" environment before investing, pointing out that some of the blocks are in areas that "are not all that secured right now such as Jonglei state", where the military is fighting a rebel group which the South claims is backed by Khartoum. Such issues are "going to be a concern for all big companies" she said but admitted that the "US would like to see more American companies here because they bring value and generally turn to have a more open and transparent process as well as making sure that they helped the communities where they engage." South Sudan’s oil sector has been criticised in some quarters for lacking transparency by analysts and campaigning groups. Page said encouraging the government to "abide by the contracts that have already been signed" would be a good thing "because that is very important for the people to know but also to allow for good deals if they can be made with American companies.” (ST) http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article47091 END2 ______________________ John Ashworth Sudan, South Sudan Advisor [email protected] +254 725 926 297 (Kenya mobile) +211 919 695 362 (South Sudan mobile) +27 79 832 8834 (South Africa mobile) +44 750 304 1790 (UK/international) +88 216 4334 0735 (Thuraya satphone) PO Box 52002 - 00200, Nairobi, Kenya This is a personal e-mail address and the contents do not necessarily reflect the views of any organisation -- -- The content of this message does not necessarily reflect John Ashworth's views. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, John Ashworth is not the author of the content and the source is always cited. You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "sudan-john-ashworth" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.co.za/group/sudan-john-ashworth --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "sudan-john-ashworth" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. -- 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/CAJb14or59aU3zQzRh-%2BqMsCmuv1qQgamyeB99RiPCOxmauMR2w%40mail.gmail.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
