US clamps down on oil companies

The United States House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a bill which, if given Senate and presidential approval, will require companies operating in Sudan to fully disclose their activities in that country before being listed on US stock exchanges. The proposed Sudan Peace Act stipulates that companies working in Sudan should disclose the “relationship of the commercial activity to any violations of religious freedom and other human rights”. Since the bill would cover both US and foreign companies operating in Sudan, it would apply to multinational consortiums developing oilfields in the south.

Jim Buckee, president of the Canadian oil company Talisman, which has been much criticised for its involvement in production in southern Sudan, said on Wednesday that the company was in compliance with all laws in the jurisdictions in which it operated, including the US. “I believe our presence in Sudan is positive. While in Sudan, Talisman continues to be a strong advocate for human rights and [to] carry out major humanitarian programmes,” he said in a press release.

The Sudan Peace Bill also proposed that the US Congress officially condemn the “aerial bombardment of civilian targets sponsored by the Government of Sudan”, and urged US President George W. Bush to promptly make available US $10 million that Congress approved last year to assist the opposition coalition group, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The bill received overwhelming support in the House, and was passed with 422 votes in favour and two against, according to details on the US House of Representatives website. [for further details, go to: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d107:HR02052:@@@L&summ2=m&