US companies "interested" in South Sudan’s oil, says ambassador
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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.
JPEG - 22.1 kb
U.S Ambassador to South Sudan, Susan Page, speaking to reporters in
Juba on June 26, 2013 (ST)
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)
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