CAR, Libya talks stall on oil

2004-06-28 20:18

Bangui - Talks aimed at relaunching co-operation between the Central African Republic (CAR) and Libya have stalled over some 400 000 tons of oil that allegedly went astray under ousted CAR president Ange Felix Patasse, national radio reported on Monday.

A CAR government delegation that is with President Francois Bozize on a visit to Libya got "a real shock" when it was told by officials that Tripoli had delivered "more than 400 000 tons of petroleum products to the Central African Republic at a preferential price" between 1999 and 2002, when Patasse was in power, the radio said.

"This aid from a friendly country, instead of benefiting the Central African people, was diverted from its intended destination," said radio reporter Alain Georges Ngatoua.

The aid was used to "fill personal overseas accounts of officials from the Central African People's Liberation Movement (MLPC)", Patasse's party, Ngatoua said.

CAR's economy, which is based on timber and mining, has been crippled by years of mismanagement and high-level fraud which started under Jean-Bedel Bokassa, who came to power in a coup on the last day of 1965.

Corruption continued under Patasse, during whose 10 years in office some state workers were owed more than a year's back pay. Patasse was in power from 1993 until he was toppled in a coup in March last year, which brought Bozize to power.

Tripoli had invested heavily in the CAR under Patasse's regime in return for access to the country's rich natural resources. And it sent troops to the CAR from May 2001 to December 2002 to support Patasse.

In 2000, Patasse said Libya had donated 55 000 tons of oil to CAR - the only mention he made of oil-aid from Libya, and far short of the 400 000 tons Libya has said it sent to CAR.

According to Ngatoua, the missing aid was hampering progress in talks on relaunching co-operation which began on Saturday, when Bozize and his delegation arrived in CAR.

Simon Kouloumba, the CAR official in charge of managing the Libyan oil "gift" has been in prison since last year for embezzlement.

- SAPA