UGANDAN GOVERNMENT HAS DENIED THAT LIBYAN STRONGMAN COL MUAMOR GADHAFI IS AFTER ITS OIL FIELDS, AS REPORTED BY ITALIAN PRESS.
Writes Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu CITY
UGANDAN government has strongly refuted and rejected suggestions that Libyan strongman Col Muamor El-Gadhafi is secretly eying Uganda’s oil fields.
“The government of Uganda does not accept the view that Gadhafi is after Uganda’s oil”, said a statement issued by the Minister or State for Foreign Affairs, Sam Kutesa.
“In any case, Libya has more oil than Uganda will ever find. We therefore do not think that Libya is targeting Uganda’s oil”, the statement went on.
Minister Kutesa was reacting to a SUNDAY VISION leading article entitled, “Is Gadhafi after Uganda’s oil?”
“Any misunderstanding the article may have caused between the two countries is unfortunate and we disassociate ourselves from it,” the Minister’s statement further explained.
Citing the Italian media reports, the SUNDAY VISION article said Libya on three occasions had announced its interests to buy up to 10 per cent shares in Elni, the Italian company that wants to take over Heritage’s stakes in Uganda’s oil fields. That would make Libya the second biggest shareholder in the company, after the Italian state giant oil firm, which has 30 per cent stake.
Libya state owned company, Tamoil had earlier won contract to built Kampala oil terminal and the extension of the Eldoret-Kampala oil pipeline.
Earlier reports had indicated that Libyan Gadhafi planed to buy up to 10 per cent shares in Elni, the Italian oil giant company that, on Friday last week, signed a deal with the UK based Heritage, to take over the oil field in Uganda.
That would make Libya the second biggest shareholders of the company after the Italian biggest oil firm, signed sale and purchase agreement to sell its interests to Elni for usd.1.5 billion, formalizing a preliminary agreement made on November 23.
Gadhafi, the report continued, first mentioned it in August 2008, after the signing of a “friendship treaty”, under which Italy would pay compensation for its misdeeds, during its colonial rule of Libya.
“It {the treaty} allows for something that, in different times, would have been absolutely impossible, such as a foreign state that enters with a take of 5 to 10 per cent in your national oil company, which is what we would want to do”, Gadhafi was quoted in the Italian newspaper La Republica as having said this.
Gadhafi’s interest in Elni was confirmed in December last year by the Libyan ambassador to Italy, Hafed Gaddur.
“Libya would be interested in buying up to 10 per cent of Italian oil giant Elni as one of a number of investments it is considering in Italy”, he told the newspaper.
Describing the investment in Elni as financial, Gadhafi said Libya would look to getting a seat on the board of the company.
And in May, Libyan Energy Minister, Shokri Ghamen, reiterated his country’s interest in acquiring up to 10 per cent of Elni, as well as a stake in Italy’s electricity company, Enel, the world’s largest energy provider.
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leooderaomolo@yahoo.com