Did JDZ blocks 5 & 6 cause STP to change law?
ND9
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Le gouvernement pourra négocier directement avec les sociétés pétrolières (article translated to English via altavista.com)
The government will be able to negotiate directly with the oil companies L' National Assembly santoméenne adopted last week a law authorizing the government to be negotiated directly with companies for l' attribution of oil blocks, subjected before to a call d' offers public. This law, voted on July 3, " allows the government to make l' direct attribution of the blocks (oil) which remain without propositions" after calls d' offers, affirmed the Minister for the parliamentary Affairs, Justino Veiga. L' old text required this procedure for any exploration or exploitation. It was revised with l' initiative of the government, after calls d' offers remained without proposal concerning two oil blocks in the zone occupied jointly by Sao Tome and Principe and Nigeria, according to Mr. Veiga. " After launching d' calls d' offers for blocks of oil in the common development area with Nigeria, we recorded a situation for which (preceding) the law did not envisage a solution. Two blocks remained without propositions" , he explained. In a discussion with media d' State diffused last weekend, the executive director of l' National agency of Oil, Luis back Prazeres greeted the new law, by underlining qu' it however imposed the transparency in the steps. One of its articles " open a window with the government for l' direct adjudication of blocs" , by allowing him " to negotiate directly with a company (...) but before, it must make public all the relative informations to the négociations" , Mr. back Prazeres declared. According to him, this publication must be done within ten day. To come into effect, the revised law must be promulgated by president Fradique de Menezes. " Traditionally, the promulgation is made 15 to 20 jours" after the vote of the texts by l' National Assembly, specified an legal adviser with the presidency, Aito Bonfim. Sao Tome intends to produce oil in 2010-2011, but economic and diplomatic sources estimate that its first crude barrels are possible for 2014. Published on July 6, 2009.
