ChevronTexaco says it's close to deal with protesters

US transnational ChevronTexaco said on Tuesday it was close to an agreement that would end the siege on its main oil-export terminal in Nigeria, by women protesters demanding jobs and amenities for their impoverished communities. About 150 women from the Ugborodo community near the Escravos export terminal stormed the facility on 8 July, occupying its airstrip, docks and storage areas. Their number later rose to over 2,000. The women prevented aircraft from landing and boats from docking at the terminal, which is surrounded by swamps, creeks and the Atlantic Ocean. The action disrupted operations and prevented hundreds of Nigerian and expatriate employees from leaving the terminal. "The agreement addresses the broad concerns of the women in areas of additional employment opportunities, greater economic empowerment and provision of more infrastructure," a company spokesman, Sola Omole, said in a statement sent to IRIN. "The Management of Chevron and the leaders of the communities are currently working on a Memorandum of Understanding that would be endorsed by both parties in a final push for the resolution of the crisis and a formal end to the occupation." The company said activity at the Escravos terminal was slowly returning to normal. This started after it regained access to the control room of the storage area - "the nerve centre of oil production and exports" - and the employees' normal duty cycle was resumed. Chevron's US $400 million Escravos Gas Plant is also located at the facility. There were reports in some local newspapers at the weekend that the gas supply from the facility to some power plants of the state-owned electricity company had been affected by the action of the protesters. The disruption of oil operations is common in the Niger Delta, where impoverished local people accuse oil companies and the federal government of neglecting them despite the huge oil wealth pumped from their land. However, this is the first such action has been taken exclusively by women.