TGS-Nopec fights flak over Sahara

Upstream Online
28 Nov. 2002
By Barry Morgan

Norwegian seismic outfit TGS-Nopec has rebuffed accusations by the
Norwegian Support Committee for Western Sahara that it acted
unethically in shooting seismic on the deep-water Boujdour and
Dakhla permits off the Sahrawi Republic.

TGS has completed 90% of the survey for both Kerr-McGee and
TotalFinaElf, which last year signed reconnaissance permits with
Moroccan state oil company Onarep. Rabat claims sovereignty over the
territory. Algerian-backed Polisario independence fighters claim TGS
has also paid fees to Rabat that fly in the face of an opinion
delivered by UN Legal Office spokesman Hans Corell denying Morocco
could be considered the "administering power".

Industry sources insist TGS never paid any monies to Rabat and have
"always stayed out of local politics", but the NSCWS insists the
company was pressured to publicly deny Sahrawi sovereignty and refer
instead to Morocco's Southern Provinces.

TGS is now feeling the heat with the Oslo municipality of Aas this
week declaring it had withdrawn its shareholding in the company.
Stavanger Aftenblad just lost $100,000 when it too divested from
TGS, following hard on the heels of both Sandefjord and Stavanger
Municipalities and several pension funds on the Oslo stock exchange.

Only the National Insurance Scheme Fund has been buying shares in
TGS and now controls some 7% of the issue.

"TGS is showing arrogance and an unwillingness to address the issues
we have raised, preferring to ridicule our campaign and accuse us of
being organised by political interest groups in Norway," said NSCWS
campaign coordinator Ronny Hansen.

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Forwarded by:
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Norwegian Support Committee for Western Sahara
wsahara2@...

*** Referendum now! ***
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sahara-update
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