Iran: EU oil ban review

A senior EU official said the Union may review in the next two months an embargo on Iranian oil imports that is scheduled to take effect from 1 July. The official, who has not been identified, told Reuters that for now there was no economic reason to change the ban. EU member states had agreed to review the embargo plan as early as this month because of concerns over its potential impact on global crude oil prices and the difficulty countries such as Greece face in finding alternative supplies.

But the review has now been postponed until May or June. 'So far, Greece has come back to us saying that for the time being they seem to be able to handle the situation,' the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. 'They asked for the possibility of coming back to this in May or maybe June. The situation in oil markets is being kept under close review and, if necessary, we will come back to this.'

The official did not say whether the change to the review schedule was linked to ongoing talks with Tehran over its nuclear programme. Tehran expects EU oil sanctions to be removed if the next round of nuclear negotiations in Baghdad produces positive results. Petroleum Minister Rostam Qasemi went on the record that if the sanctions are not removed in the next round, Iran will stop selling oil to EU customers with immediate effect.

For more news and expert analysis about Iran, please see Iran Strategic Focus.

© 2012 Menas Associates

Iraq's fugitive Vice-President Tariq al-Hashemi in Saudi Arabia

After a four day visit, Iraq's fugitive Vice-President Tariq al-Hashemi has left Qatar. The official's, allegedly unauthorised, trip to the fellow Arab country has sparked conflict with the rest of Iraqi government.

Al-Hashemi is the most senior Sunni minister in the government. He absconded to the sovereign Kurdish region of Iraq after being accused of partaking in terrorism last year. He then later fled to Qatar.

Earlier this week, Iraq demanded that Qatar hand-over al-Hashemi but it refused, saying such a step would go against diplomatic conventions. Speaking about the issue, Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister Hussein al-Shahristani said Qatar harbouring a wanted person was an "unacceptable act" and that it should "return him to Iraq".

According to Reuters, al-Hashemi is now in Saudi Arabia, where he is to undergo a pilgrimage. The official told al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper, during his time in Qatar, that he planned to visit Saudi Arabia on his trip of "friendly states".

Like Qatar, Saudi Arabia has a Sunni government; both countries have expressed concern about Iraq's largely Shi'a government. On Monday 2 April, Baghdad asked for Hashemi to be extradited, but Qatar refused, saying there was no court judgement to validate such a step.

Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's decision to issue an arrest warrant for Hashemi in December 2011 brought the country's national unity government close to ruin, and ignited fears that sectarian unrest would mount.

Iraq's government was due to hold reconciliation talks with Sunni and Kurdish counterparts on Thursday 5 April, but the meeting fell through as al-Maliki's opponents refused to attend the meeting. It is yet to be confirmed whether or not it will take place.

Sources: BBC News, Reuters, AFP

For more news and expert analysis about Iraq, please see Iraq Focus.

Nigeria: A fire rocks Chevron's oil rig in Bayelsa State

On Monday 16th January, a fire– thought to have been caused by a gas leakage – ripped through Chevron's oil rig in Bayelsa State, leaving two workers missing.

After several days of intensified searching, Chevron released a statement extending its condolence to the families of the two missing people. The company has, however, accounted for the remainder of workers, who had been present on the rig and a nearby barge when the fire broke out. It said two workers were treated for minor injuries.

The investigation into the fire is ongoing. There is little evidence of sabotage, and the company believes it was caused by equipment failure. It has been established that the explosion occurred between 4.30am and 5am and was reported to be an accident. Some of the evacuated workers confirmed that the drilling exercise encountered technical problems while working on a new gas well head.

Speaking about the incident, Chevron's General Manager of Public and Government Affairs said: "There was no explosion. It was a fire incident at the Finuwa Field. The name of the rig is KS Endeavour. It is owned by Fode Drilling. All workers are being evacuated."

Sources: Upstream, Afrique en Ligne, Reuters

For more news and expert analysis about Nigeria, please see Nigeria Focus and Nigeria Politics & Security.

KRG criticises Iraq oil law

The semi-autonomous Kurdish government in northern Iraq has criticised a draft of oil law approved by the country's cabinet. The law proposes to centralise control of Iraq's vast oil reserves, which the Kurds think prejudicial.

According to Reuters, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) called on Iraq's parliament to reject the long-awaited law, saying it contradicted the "essence of the constitution".

The new law is key to the OPEC producer's efforts to rebuild after years of war by giving investors more solid legal assurances. It has been in the making for years but has faced opposition over who controls the world's fourth largest oil reserves.

Most of the opposition has come from the KRG, where the government has signed its own contracts with foreign oil companies that the central government in Baghdad deems illegal. The KRG issued a statement accusing Iraq's cabinet of "fooling its members" by reviewing the draft in haste.

The statement said: "In the absence of a federal oil policy for more than six years and unjustified delays in passing the federal oil law...we were caught by surprise by the Cabinet action in approving a draft, in absence of most members, which is totally contradictory to the draft law agreed before."

The cabinet approved the draft in August and sent it to the parliament for ratification. The KRG rejection could hamper efforts to reach a final deal any time soon. The KRG accused Baghdad of breaching political agreements and trying to centralise decision-making.

The statement, added: "The presidency of the Kurdish region denounces this manoeuvre and calls upon the cabinet to withdraw the draft law proposed by the oil ministry immediately, as it contradicts the essence of the constitution…We demand that the parliamentary presidency reject the draft law."

Sources: Upstream Online, Reuters

For more news and expert analysis about Iraq, please see Iraq Focus.

Libya: NTC leader sacks cabinet

According to the latest news reports from Libya, Leader of the National Transitional Council (NTC) Mustafa Abdel Jalil has dismissed his executive committee, equivalent of a ministerial cabinet. The move is thought to have been prompted by the killing of rebel military chief Gen Abdel Fattah Younes.

There has been speculation among the rebels that an allied Islamist faction may be responsible for his death. A member of the NTC Abdel-Hafiz Ghoga told Al-Jazeera there had been "shortcomings" in the way some members of the Council had dealt with the matter.

The Associated Press quoted another member of the NTC, Fathi Turbel, as saying it was clear the re-shuffle was needed after the "military, security and media incompetence" following Younes' death.

An NTC spokesman Shamsiddin Abdulmolah told Reuters the re-shuffle was a sign of "the maturing of the revolution, holding people responsible…It's healthy. The NTC is still the highest authority”.

Jibril is now expected to form a new cabinet forthwith. It is thought that he may reappoint some of his ministers.

Younes defected from Colonel Mu'ammar Qadhafi's regime in February after serving the Leader since the 1969 coup, which brought him to power. His body, along with those of his two aides, was discovered on the outskirts of Benghazi on 28th July, after he had been recalled to give evidence on the on-going fight against Qadhafi. The exact circumstances of his death are unclear, and the killers are yet to be apprehended, but senior members of his tribe have demanded a full investigation.

Sources: BBC News, Al-Jazeera, AP, Reuters

For more news and expert analysis about Libya, please see Libya Focus and Libya Politics & Security.

NATO increases pressure on Qadhafi with more air strikes

According to a number of sources, NATO's planes have launched a series of heavy air raids on Tripoli, which has seen three people dead and many injured in an attack on army barracks.

The strikes followed an announcement by France that it along with the UK would deploy attack helicopters to fortify the air strike campaign. Heavy explosions hit Libya's capital, as one strike was quickly followed by another.

NATO has said it bombed a transport depot near Colonel Mu'ammar Qadhafi's, Bab Al-Aziziya, compound which had been used by his forces in attacks on civilians. The use of attack helicopters marks a significant move to up the campaign in Libya, in order to step-up the pressure on Qadhafi after weeks of deadlock.

France's Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said France was sending NATO 12 French Tiger and Gazelle helicopters for the attack campaign against Qadhafi and his troops. The UK's Apache attack helicopters would deploy from HMS Ocean, the Royal Navy's largest warship.

Speaking about the most recent strike, a spokesman for Libya's government, Moussa Ibrahim, said three civilians were killed and 150 people wounded. He was quoted by Reuters as saying: “This is another night of bombing and killing by NATO.”

Sources: BBC News, Aljazeera, The Daily Telegraph, Reuters

For more news and expert analysis about Libya, please see Libya Focus and Libya Politics & Security.

Fourteen dead in Benghazi protests

The news during the past week has inevitably centred on the proposal by youth groups, who have been using social media warfare, that there should be mass peaceful marches on 17th and18th February, the anniversary of the 2005 riots in Benghazi, to demonstrate against the lack of human rights.

The marches have been pre-empted by major protests in Benghazi on the night of Tuesday 15th February. They were apparently triggered by the arrest of Fathi Terbil who represents the families of the victims of the 1996 Abu Selim prison massacre when up to 1000 prisoners were killed. Although Terbil was later released, the protests continued.

There has been no independent confirmation, however, of the overnight protests in which eyewitnesses claim that at one stage involved around 2,000 people. Stones were thrown at police who are said to have responded with water cannon, tear gas and rubber bullets. According to a Reuters report in the online edition of Libya's privately-owned Quryna, 14 people were injured, including 10 police officers.

Later, State television showed several hundred people in Benghazi voicing their support for the government which has not yet commented on the events. One eye-witness said that "a couple of people in the crowd started chanting anti-government slogans and the crowd took that on”. He went on, "But then there were clashes with pro-government supporters and then after a bit the pro-government supporters were dispersed and then the security services arrived and they dispersed the crowds with hot-water cannons."

For more news and expert analysis about Libya, please see Libya Focus and Libya Politics & Security.

© 2011 Menas Associates

Riots in Algiers

Serious rioting broke out in the Diar Elaffia neighborhood of eastern Algiers on Tuesday 23rd November. In spite of the ring-fence barricading and heavily policing of Algiers, unrest and rioting seems to be coming more prevalent.

In October 2009, protestors threw petrol bombs at police during several days of rioting over housing conditions. We reported the sustained unrest and rioting because of the inadequate and cramped slum housing conditions in the suburb of Diar Echems, close to Diar Elaffia, in February and March of this year.

The cause of the latest rioting in the densely populated suburb of Diar Elaffia was the demolition of three houses by municipal workers, which officials had ruled had been built illegally. Although the local media seems to have avoided reporting on the incident, at least so far, Reuters reported that dozens of local residents blocked roads, with young men in particular throwing stones and glass bottles at the police.

The police called in reinforcements in the form of heavily armed riot police to quell the unrest. Our sources, who were able to film the actions of the riot police, estimated at least a dozen people injured. The riot has now been reported on both Al Jazeera and Your News (Arabic), with local reports confirming that 23 people were hospitalised, four with serious injuries. As most people try and avoid hospitalisation in order to avoid identification, the number of people injured is inevitably much higher.

For more news and expert analysis about Algeria please see Algeria Focus and Algeria Politics & Security.

© 2010 Menas Associates

Congo and Areva in uranium exploration talks

Democratic Republic of Congo and France's Areva are in talks over possible uranium exploration at a now-closed site that once produced material for the Hiroshima bomb.

Mines Minister Martin Kabwelulu and Areva's Africa Chairman Zephirin Diabre met this week, both parties confirmed, and additional discussions were likely into next year.

"We are looking to have all the geological data available before a meeting in Paris," Kabwelulu told Reuters by text message on Thursday, adding that the next meeting was likely to take place in March 2011.

"All I can confirm is that they did indeed meet," a spokesperson for Areva told Reuters by email.

Congo's largest uranium mine, Shinkolobwe, provided the uranium that went into the atomic bomb deployed by the United States on Japan in 1945 during the Second World War.

The site in the south of the vast and minerals-rich central African country was officially closed in 2004, but the United Nations has since cautioned that radioactive material from Congo is frequently smuggled out.

The site is in poor condition, likely suffering from leaks that would be costly to contain, and a lack of fencing is has opened it up to smuggling -- raising fears among Western diplomats that some of the uranium is reaching Iran.

"Uranium is the one resource that's always been at the back of everyone's mind -- it explains U.S. interest in a country that was otherwise not very interesting," said Christopher Melville, Africa specialist with London-based risk consultancy, Menas Associates.

Source: Reuters

For more news about Nigeria, please visit the Menas Associates Newsroom.

Algeria puts Hassi Messaoud construction contract on hold

A Reuters report this week confirmed what we have already reported, namely that Algeria has put on hold the large Hassi Messaoud construction contract it had earmarked for Canada's SNC-Lavalin as part of a major overhaul of Sonatrach’s dealings with contractors.

SNC-Lavalin , Canada's biggest engineering company, had been named as preferred bidder for a contract to rebuild Hassi Messaoud, the hub of Algeria's oil industry.

"We were waiting to sign the contract," Leslie Quinton, SNC-Lavalin's Vice-President for Global Corporate Communications, said in an email to Reuters. "A few weeks ago, it was announced that the process was suspended, pending further studies and additional evaluation."

According to a report in El Khabar on 30th June, a total of 160 contracts which Sonatrach had agreed with suppliers and contractors had been put on hold pending a review.

Oil and gas permits awarded to foreign energy firms are reportedly not affected. However, new rules will apply to all international energy services firms operating in Algeria, which include companies such as Schlumberger, Baker Hughes and Halliburton.

For more news and expert analysis please Sahara Focus and Algeria Politics & Security.

© 2010 Menas Associates