Vitrina, Lusa Suggest Obasanjo Visit Is Fence-Mending Only

There is a new article on Sao Tome's Vitrina Website that puts a different spin on Friday's visit of President Olusegun Obasanjo to Sao Tome and Principe, where most expect to watch President Fradique de Menezes sign awards and carry away a $49 million check as Sao Tome's share of Block 1's $123 million signature bonus fee.

Lusa has also issued an English language version if its story on the meeting.

The Vitrina spin is that the visit is purely a business meeting to discuss the awards, not a ceremonial event. We believe Vitrina is wrong, and we think most news organizations have reported otherwise on good information.

Here is the late-breaking Lusa report on the Obasanjo-de Menezes meeting:

19-05-2005 14:45:00.
Fonte LUSA.
Notícia SIR-7014351
Temas:

Sao Tome: Nigeria's Obasanjo expected in Sao Tome Friday - presidential aide

Sao Tome, May 19 (Lusa) - Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo is expected in Sao Tome and Principe Friday for talks with his island counterpart, Fradique de Menezes, on the stalled awarding of five oil exploration blocks in the two countries' offshore Joint Development Zone (JDZ), a Sao Tome presidential aide confirmed Thursday.

De Menezes' aide, asking to remain unidentified, confirmed to Lusa rumors Obasanjo was heading to Sao Tome to discuss the delayed announcement of awards.

The official declined to elaborate further on Friday's agenda, but said the two presidents would discuss their bilateral "oil dossier" that has been bogged down by political gridlock in Sao Tome.

Confirmation of Obasanjo's visit came less than 24 hours after Nigeria's ambassador to the islands denied accusations by Sao Tome and Principe's leaders that Abuja was bullying the archipelago in the bilateral process of awarding JDZ oil exploration blocks.

Ambassador Saidu Pindar also used a Wednesday news conference to blame the archipelago's authorities for hobbling the transfer of USD 123 Mn from an earlier signature bonus award.

Pindar, dismissing charges made last week by the islands' president, de Menezes, said that decisions on JDZ block awards were "taken by consensus" in the bilateral Joint Development Authority (JDA) and the senior Joint Ministerial Council (JMC).

The JMC reportedly approved the awarding of five shared offshore blocks at a late April meeting in Abuja, but the announcement has been delayed by political infighting in Sao Tome.

Under fire over the awards from the islands' two governing parties, de Menezes defended his oversight of the process by saying Sao Tome had "mortgaged" its decision-making prerogatives to Nigeria in "disastrous accords" agreed by a preceding Sao Tome administration.

De Menezes, whose partisan backers sit on opposition benches in the archipelago's parliament, resigned last week as chairman of the National Petroleum Council, saying he wanted to "avoid confusion".

At the news conference Wednesday, Pindar warned the islands' governing coalition that its virulent denunciations of the awards process risked jeopardizing bilateral relations and cooperation between the region's major power, Nigeria, and their micro-state.

Questioned on the fate of the USD 123 Mn signature bonus paid by ChevronTexaco for the only JDZ block awarded so far, the ambassador said it lay in a Nigerian bank awaiting the signatures of Sao Tome authorities in order to be transferred.

"We are waiting on Sao Tome and Principe's authorities to distribute the money", he said, indicating that the lacking signatures referred to the JMC awards decision on five blocks taken in Abuja at the end of April.

Nigeria "has already signed the document", the ambassador said.

Under a bilateral treaty signed in 2001, revenues from the JDZ are shared 60:40 in Abuja's favor.

RCN/SAS.

Lusa

Here is the Vitrina report, followed by a machine translation that is mostly nonsensical:

Ano I I I Edição n.º 803 Sexta-feira, 20 de Maio de 2005

Olusengo Obasanjo faz visita S. Tomé 24 horas depois do embaixador da Nigéria advertir os dois partidos da coligação governamental de que podem pôr em causa as relações entre os dois países
by Manuel Barros

20.05.2005-J.Vitrina-(S. Tomé) -- O presidente nigeriano Olusengo Obasanjo chega na tarde desta sexta-feira a S. Tomé para uma visita de algumas horas. Obasanjo tem encontro marcado apenas com o presidente santomense Fradique de Menezes e o seu regresso está previsto para a noite. A deslocação de Obasanjo a S. Tomé surge 24 horas depois do embaixador da Nigéria em S. Tomé em Príncipe ter advertido os partidos MLSTP/PSD e Acção Democrática Independente que formam a actual coligação governamental de que podem pôr em causa as relações entre os dois países. Saidu Shettima Pindar diz que a controversa interna em S. Tomé no dossier petróleo não pode servir de protesto para os responsáveis destes dois partidos porem em causa o bom nome da Nigéria e o seu investimento em S. Tomé e Príncipe.

Saidu Pindar fazia referência ao comunicado do MLSTP/PSD de 17 de maio último e as declarações do líder do ADI que na sua opinião constituem erros e comentários graves e muito “pouco lisonjeiros” que põem em causa um dos principais bancos nigerianos com enormes investimentos em S. Tomé.

Numa extensa declaração de imprensa seguido de respostas aos jornalistas o diplomata nigeriano acusa o MLSTP de faltar com a verdade relativamente aos bónus de assinatura do bloco 1, diz que os 123 milhões de dólares deste bloco já foram depositados no banco nigeriano denominado Hallmark Bank Plc e que o principal bloqueio para o desbloqueamento desta verba está sendo colocado actualmente por S. Tomé e Príncipe.

O comunicado do MLSTP de 17 Maio considera este banco como uma instituição bancaria de segunda classe. Mas Saidu Pindar recorda que a decisão de depositar os 123 milhões de dólares neste banco saiu de uma reunião do Consenso Ministerial Conjunto realizado em 2003 em que estiveram presentes os ministros santomense do planeamento e finanças, Eugénio Soares e da agricultura de desenvolvimento rural, Jorge Amado bem como o ex conselheiro do presidente da republica para o petróleo, Patrice Trovoada.

Entretanto, hoje na plenária da Assembleia Nacional de interpelação do governo o ex- ministro da agricultura reagiu dizendo que em 2003 ainda não existia 123 milhões de dólares, pelo que não pode ser verdade as informações dadas a conhecer pelo embaixador da Nigéria, que também reagindo as declarações do presidente da republica segundo as quais S. Tomé e Príncipe não tem voz nas discussões sobre o dossier petróleo, disse que todas as decisões são tomadas por consenso.

Here is a machine translation, which we will try to replace with a real one this evening:

>b>***Olusengo Obasanjo makes visit S. Tomé 24 hours after the ambassador of the Nigéria warning the two parties of coalition the governmental one of that they can put in cause the relations between the two countries

20.05.2005-J.Vitrina-(S. Tomé) -- The president Nigerian Olusengo Obasanjo arrives in the afternoon of this friday the S. Tomé for one visits of some hours. Obasanjo has meeting marked only with santomense president Fradique de Menezes and its return is foreseen for the night. The displacement of Obasanjo the S. Tomé appears 24 hours after the ambassador of the Nigéria in S. Tomé in Prince to have warned the parties MLSTP/PSD and Independent Democratic Share that form current coalition the governmental one of that they can put in cause the relations between the two countries. Saidu Shettima Pindar says that controversa internal in S. Tomé in dossier oil cannot serve of protest for responsible of these the two parties to put in cause the good name of the Nigéria and its investment in S. Tomé and Príncipe.

Saidu Pindar make reference to reference the official notice of the MLSTP/PSD of the 17 of last May e declarations of the leader of the ADI that in its opinion constitutes serious errors and lisonjeiros commentaries very and "little" that they put in cause one of the main banks Nigerians with enormous investments in S. Tomé.

In an extensive declaration of the press followed of answers to the journalists the diplomat Nigerian accuses the MLSTP to lack with the truth bónus of signature of block 1 relatively, says that the 123 million dollar of this block already had been deposited in the bank called Nigerian Hallmark Bank Plc and that the main blockade for the desbloqueamento of this mount of money is being currently placed for S. Tomé and Príncipe.

The official notice of the 17 MLSTP of May considers this bank as an institution would bank of second classroom. But Saidu Pindar remembers that the decision to deposit the 123 million dollar in this bank left a meeting of the carried through Joint Ministerial Consensus in 2003 where the ministers santomense of the planning and finances had been gifts, Eugénio Soares and of the agriculture of agricultural development, Jorge Loved as well as the former council member of the president of the republica for the oil, Patrice Thunderstorm.

However, today in plenária of Assembleia National of interpellation of government former minister of agriculture reacted saying that in 2003 still not dollar existed 123 million, for that cannot be truth the given information to know for the ambassador of the Nigéria, that also reacting the declarations of president of the republica according to which S. Tomé and Príncipe does not have voice in the quarrels on dossier oil, said that all the decisions are taken by consensus.