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Friday, 21 November, 2008, 20:20 GMT | more >>

White Nile 'to join Sudan consortium'



By Upstream staff 

UK-based explorer White Nile said officials of the semi-autonomous South Sudan goverment had told the company it would form part of an international consortium which will be given rights to explore an enlarged area of the region's Block B.

However, the company said it was still awaiting the outcome of talks between Sudan's separate northern and southern governments covering oil exploration and production to clarify its position in the region.

White Nile halted drilling on its Kedelai-1 exploration well on Block Ba last month, reportedly on orders of Government of South Sudan President Salva Kiir.

White Nile has been concerned about the future in the block following the absorbtion of Paulo Matip's Southern Sudan Defence Force into the Southern Sudanese government.

Matip was not part of the original 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the Khartoum government and rebel groups which created the Southern Sudanese government and did not recognise the White Nile deal.

Matip is now Kiir's deputy, and were reported to have held talks over the White Nile deal in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi late last month.

White Nile said unnamed officials in the Southern Sudanese capital of Juba had told it the new block would include White Nile's existing interest in Block Ba, as well as Block Bb and Bc, the company said.

It said the consortium would also include French giant Total, Kuwait's Kufpec and SudaPet and NilePet, the national oil companies of northern and southern Sudan respectively.

The report echoes the recommendations of the National Petroleum Commission of the southern Sudanese government, which said last week it had recommended Total and White Nile share Block B.

White Nile said it was confident the present talks would be resolved in its favour. The company said it had urged the governments to provide clarity on the matter as soon as possible.

However, White Nile said it understood the South Sudan government would not comment on the outcome of the negotiations with regard to oil exploration until talks with northern Sudan dealing with other issues had been wrapped up.

Wednesday, 06 June, 2007, 18:50 GMT  | last updated: Wednesday, 06 June, 2007, 18:50 GMT

Carrying on: White Nile said it was awaiting the outcome of talks in Sudan
 

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