Lusa Says Obasanjo Likely To Meet 'Gamut' Of Sao Tome Leaders Today

An English-language article from Portugal's Lusa news agency spe;;s out a tough agenda for Nigerian Presidnet Olusegin Obasanjo as he traverls to Sao Tome today to met with "a gamut" of the nation's top elected officials and political leaders.

Sao Tome less than an hour by jet from Abuja, but the Gulf of Guinea may not be as deep nor as broad as the cultural gap between these two nations, which only made peace in recent years to exploit their mutual interest in vast reserves of oil believed to lie several thousand feet below its surface.

The relationship has been marked by relatively little cross-national criticism, and President Obasanjo's visit is to a friend an ally who is facing a politically-motivated revolt at home. As in any such uproar, the motives have more to do with a desired political outcome - in this case in the race next year for the presidency - than with the incontrovertible facts of the hostage ssue, which is the award of five oil blocks by the Nigeria-Sao Tome and Principe Joint Development Authority on recommendations from its Joint Ministerial Council.

Here is the Lusa story:

20-05-2005 13:16:00.
Fonte LUSA.
Notícia SIR-7017321
Temas:

Sao Tome: Obasanjo's oil-crisis visit may involve gamut of islands' leaders

Sao Tome, May 20 (Lusa) - Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo is scheduled to holds talks with Sao Tome and Principe's leaders Friday in an effort to break the logjam blocking awards of five offshore oil exploration blocks in the two countries' shared Joint Development Zone (JDZ).

President Fradique de Menezes' office confirmed Thursday that he would be meeting with Obasanjo, but Nigeria's ambassador to the Gulf of Guinea islands said the talks could be broader, involving more Sao Tome leaders.

Ambassador Saidu Pindar told Lusa Friday morning that Obasanjo was expected to arrive in early afternoon for a visit of several hours.

Beyond talks with de Menezes, Pindar said Obasanjo might also meet Prime Minister Damião Vaz d'Almeida, Parliament Speaker Dionísio, and the chief justice of the Supreme Court, Alice de Carvalho.

The bilateral Joint Ministerial Council met in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, late last month and reportedly approved awards in five JDZ blocks worth millions in signature bonuses.

While Abuja has signed off on the awards, their announcement has been held up for more than three weeks by political gridlock in Sao Tome, where the president and government are fiercely at odds over the issue.

The feuding, including accusations of corruption, has led to the de Menezes resigning from the islands' key National Petroleum Council and sacking his personal oil adviser, Patrice Trovoada, the leader of one of the two government parties.

Natural Resources Minister Arlindo de Carvalho, who led the archipelago's delegation to the JMC meeting in Abuja, has also stepped down.

While the prime minister has remained silent in public over the controversy, his MLSTP/PSD party has repeatedly blasted the president for alleged mismanagement and corruption in the oil scheme, leading de Menezes to file libel suit against the party's chief spokesman, Carlos Tiny.

RCN/SAS.

Lusa