Colombian interest in Ecuador’s Oxy concession

[Judi Lynn]

Saturday, 03 June

Colombian interest in Ecuador’s Oxy concession

Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has expressed interest in taking over the Amazon concession in Ecuador which belonged to US Occidental Petroleum.

Ecuadorian presidential spokesperson Enrique Proaño said Saturday that Mr. Uribe expressed Colombia’s government owned oil corporation Ecopetrol interest in the concession, during a phone exchange with Ecuadorian president Alfredo Palacio.

“President Uribe phoned to let us know that Colombia’s Ecopetrol was interested in any Ecuadorian hydrocarbons activity, particularly regarding operations in Block 15”, which belonged or had been awarded to Oxy (Occidental Petroleum).

Last month Ecuador’s government rescinded Oxy’s contract because the California based company transferred assets without reporting them to Quito authorities and apparently was involved in directional drilling.
(snip)

Following Occidental’s complaints the George Bush administration froze negotiations for a free trade agreement with Ecuador, which only needed ironing some details.
The decision shocked Ecuador’s business community given the strong bilateral trade with US and the fact that Peru and Colombia have already signed similar trade deals.
Washington was already disappointed with Ecuador’s new Hydrocarbons bill which imposed windfall taxes not originally contemplated in contracts.
(snip/...)

http://www.mercopress.com/Detalle.asp?NUM=8043

[Judi Lynn]

1. Ascendant's Mining Days in Ecuador May Be Numbered

Ascendant's Mining Days in Ecuador May Be Numbered
Written by Cyril Mychalejko
Wednesday, 31 May 2006

Several hundred mining opponents, many carrying colorful banners, marched into the town square of Garcia Moreno, Ecuador on May 20 for a region-wide assembly concerning the mining activities of Canada’s Ascendant Copper Corporation.

A declaration signed by all of the Parish presidents of the Intag region was read to the crowd, which Ecuador’s daily newspaper, El Norte estimated was close to 1,000 people. The declaration demanded that the company depart immediately. Polibio Perez, the president of the council of communities, said the company would have until June 4 to leave.

The majority of speakers at the four-hour event denounced the company and the environmental destruction the proposed mine would bring. Chants of "the people united will never be defeated" were repeated after each anti-mining speaker. Only two people spoke in favor of the mine.

Gary Davis, President and CEO of Ascendant, downplayed the significance of the event. He said that according to three independent journalists (he was unable to recall their names) and company personnel the numbers didn’t exceed 180 people – a huge disparity from Upside Down World, El Norte, and local police estimates.

Edmundo Lucero, the president of Junin, has been baffled by Davis’ refusal to recognize the magnitude of the company’s opposition.
(snip)

In addition, the recent announcement that Luis Macas, president of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) will run for president of Ecuador could spell more trouble for U.S. and multinational corporate interests in the country. The indigenous leader, like Bolivia’s Evo Morales, opposes free trade deals and other types of foreign investments that would not benefit the public.
(snip/...)

http://upsidedownworld.org/main/content/view/307/1/



Luis Macas