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Chad 'suspends' oil giants
29/08/2006 19:20 - (SA)
N'Djamena - Chad has informed US company ChevronTexaco and Petronas of Malaysia, members of a consortium extracting the African country's oil, of the "suspension" of their activities, according to a letter obtained by AFP Tuesday.
In the letter, addressed August 28 to the managing directors of the two companies, Minister of Mines and Energy Mahamat Ali Abdallah refers to a non-specified government "instruction" which expired "on the date of August 10, 2006".
"Noting the lack of positive reaction from your company to the said instruction, the government of the Republic of Chad decided on August 26, 2006 to suspend the activities of your companies on the whole territory of the Republic of Chad and, consequently, invites you to leave the country immediately," it said.
Chad's President Idriss Deby Itno on Saturday ordered ChevronTexaco and Petronas to immediately leave the country for non-payment of taxes.
The government said Sunday that the two companies, which are in the consortium along with with US company ExxonMobil, had "several days" to leave the country.
Their departure leaves the US oil giant ExxonMobil and the Chadian government to tap the resources together.
In a bid to increase Chad's own share of its oil revenue, Deby last week told his government to renegotiate the contract it signed in 1988 with the US-Malaysian consortium.
- AFP
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