INDIA: ASSAM PARTIES PROTEST HALIBURTON BID
Guwahati, 3 July (AKI/Asian Age) - Political parties in the northeastern
Indian state of Assam are up in arms over the American multinational company
Halliburton seeking entry into the oilfields of Assam, through the Oil and
Natural Gas Commission, for energy exploration. The Asom Gana Parishad (Assam
Peoples Association), referring to the company's "dubious track record" in
Iraq, has asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to stop the public sector ONGC
from bringing Halliburton into Assam. Describing the company, once headed by US
vice-president Dick Cheney as a "serious security risk" to the troubled region.
"The entry of Halliburton might turn Assam into another Iraq, as the
company is largely responsible for the present situation in that country" AGP
president Brindawan Goswami told reporters.
He said ONGC had been lobbying to bring in the American engineering,
construction and services giant to Assam for oil and natural gas exploration,
but warned that this might "pose a serious threat to the internal security of
India in the days to come."
"The dubious role of the American company is under the scanner even in
the United States, and a number of non-resident Assamese living in the US have
provided information about the dubious track record of the company."
Goswami, distributing copies of US newspaper reports which had raised
questions about the role of Halliburton, noted that the company, besides oil
exploration, had played a key role in building and servicing military bases in
Iraq. He also noted that the Pentagon had later cancelled all the company's
military logistics contracts because of innumerable charges of incompetence and
corruption.
The AGP leader called upon all political parties to oppose the company's
entry into Assam and demanded that the Centre order a thorough probe into all
the dealings between ONGC and Halliburton.
Goswami quoted reports from the Washington Post, which had first revealed
Halliburton's trading links with Iraq in February 2000, and then went on to say
that UN records had later proved that the dealings were much more extensive
than originally believed.
Halliburton was allegedly engaged in secret business dealings with Saddam
Hussein's regime by selling Iraq oil production equipment and spare parts to
get Iraqi oilfields up and running, according to the UN records, a later report
in the Washington Post had said.
Goswami quoted other American newspaper reports saying that US government
auditors had issued at least nine reports criticising the company's work in
Iraq, and added that there were multiple criminal investigations into
overcharging and kickbacks involving the company's contracts.
The AGP feared that if a company with such a dubious track records was
allowed to go exploring for oil and natural gas in a strategically vulnerable
area like Assam, it would pose a major security threat to the nation.
The company was only eyeing the 1.3 billion tonnes of crude oil and 156
billion cubic meters of natural gas in the oilfields of Assam, and he said it
was "capable of causing socio-political unrest in this part of India if it is
allowed a foothold."
(Aki/Asian Age)
Jul-03-07 11:10
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