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EL COMERCIO

February 11, 2008 - 11 de Fedrero del 2008

Attorney asks for four oil companies to leave the Yasuní

Procuraduría pidió la salida de 4 petroleras del Yasuní

 

El Comercio

Attorney asks for four oil companies to leave the Yasuní

The Attorney General of the State, Xavier Garaicoa, called for an amendment of the definition of the oil blocks that are located in the intangible area of the Yasuní.

Through a report, the Attorney affirmed that provisional measures solicited by the Inter-American Commission should be put into effect. These measures favor the voluntarily-isolated Tagaeri and Taromenane who live in this region.

He stated that the presence of three foreign oil companies as well as a state enterprise in the intangible zone could generate social and environmental problems.

Therefore, he urged the President, the Minister of Mines and Petroleum and the Minister of the Environment to finalize his mandate. He stressed that "It is imperative that the blocks are withdrawn, even though they have been defined before the declaration of intangible zone."

For the legal counsel, although no operations exist in these fields and environmental licenses haven't been granted for their exploitation, the field's finalization is a pending theme. This issue must be addressed at the ongoing oil contractors' re-negotiation meetings.

Galo Chirigoba, the head of the Ministry of Mines and Oil, stated that until Saturday night, he did not receive any official notification from the attorney regarding the intangible zone in Yasuní.
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EN ESPAÑOL

El Comercio

Procuraduría pidió la salida de 4 petroleras del Yasuní

El Procurador General del Estado, Xavier Garaicoa, pidió que se modifique la delimitación de los bloques petroleros que están en la zona intangible del Yasuní. En esta zona están presentes Repsol, Petroriental, Petrobras y Petroecuador.

A través de un comunicado, el Procurador afirmó que se debe respetar la vigencia de medidas cautelares solicitadas por la Comisión Interamericana. Estas favorecen a los pueblos en aislamiento voluntario Tagaeri y Taromenane, que están en la zona.

Precisó que la presencia de tres compañías petroleras extranjeras y una empresa estatal en la zona intangible pudiera generar líos sociales y ambientales.

Por eso instó al Presidente, al Ministro de Minas y Petróleos y a la Ministra del Ambiente, para que concreten su demanda. "Existe la necesidad imperiosa de que los bloques se retiren, aunque hayan sido delimitados antes de la declaratoria de zona intangible", recalcó.

Para la Procuraduría, aunque no existan operaciones en estos campos y no se hayan otorgado licencias ambientales para su explotación, su delimitación es un tema pendiente. Esto tiene que tratarse en las mesas de renegociación de los contratos petroleros, que se llevan a cabo.

Sin embargo, Galo Chirigoba, principal del Ministerio de Minas y Petróleos, dijo que hasta el sábado en la noche no recibió ninguna notificación oficial del Procurador sobre el tema de la zona intangible del Yasuní.

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