Soco denies paying for Congo DRC trip to UN to discuss Virunga oil drilling
The Guardian - 5 hours ago
Request for payment of trip for Congolese officials to Doha for Unesco
meeting was turned down, UK firm says
John Vidal and David Smith
theguardian.com, Thursday 19 June 2014 11.08 EDT
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A villager supporting WWF's Draw the line campaign, raises his hand to
protest against any oil prospecting, exploration or drilling in
Virunga national park, in Democratic Republic of Congo. Photograph:
Brent Stirton/WWF
British oil company Soco International has denied allegations that it
paid for an official Congolese government delegation to go to a UN
meeting where talks were being held on whether its exploratory work in
Africa's oldest national park should be allowed.
Half the world's surviving mountain gorillas live in the huge Virunga
world heritage site which has been designated by the Unesco as being
of "importance to the common heritage of humanity".
Following protests from the UN, conservation groups and the British
government at Soco's seismic testing near Lake Edward,
the company pledged last week to end its surveys
within 30 days and to commission no further work unless Unesco and the
Congolese government "agree that such activities are not incompatible
with world heritage status".
A leaked statement by the Congolese environment ministry, posted on
the blog of a documentary about Virunga
, suggested that Soco would be paying the costs of the Congolese
official delegation for this month's Unesco meeting on world heritage
sites in Doha. The party of eight, which included the director of
national parks and a consultant who has worked for Soco, were to stay
for 16 days.

The Vitshumbi fishing village on the southern shores of Lake Edward is
in the 'Block V' area of Virunga national park. Soco International
wants to explore for oil underneath the park, which is Africa's oldest
and a world heritage site. Photograph: Brent Stirton/WWF-Canon/Getty
Images
A spokesman for Soco in London did not deny the authenticity of the
letter but said the company had not paid the costs of the delegation
to go. "It was definitely not paid for by Soco in any way. A request
[for Soco to pay for the delegation] was made by the ICCN [the
Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature, the government
national parks authority] in May but was politely turned down," he
said.
Asked whether Soco has anything in writing to show that the company
had rejected the government invitation to pay for the delegation, Soco
said: "This letter on the website [of the Virunga documentary] is not
addressed to Soco. Communications were made."
A further leaked letter from the head of Soco's Congolese company in
Kinshasa to the prime minister of Congo DRC states that press reports
that Soco was pulling out of exploring for oil were "inaccurate".
"We wish to clarify that as soon as phase one of this exploration is
completed ... Soco will process and interpret the data set and we will
be able to determine mid-2015 if there are areas to be drilled so that
the DRC government [can] take all appropriate steps to continue or not
this exploration," it says.
The possibility that the DRC government could work with Unesco to
redraw the park boundaries to allow for oil exploration was raised
last week
when Soco deputy CEO Roger Cagle said in London: "It [exploring for
oil in Virunga] forces DRC and Unesco to come to some kind of
accommodation, as has been demonstrated in many other places where
they have accommodated things in world heritage sites by redrawing
boundaries".
Recovering hippo populations close to the ICCN Ranger station in
Lulimibi, Lake Edward. It once housed the largest hippo population in
the world, but the numbers have declined drastically since 1994.
Photograph: Brent Stirton/WWF-Canon/Getty Images
A spokesman for the Congolese government said it could not yet issue a
full reaction. "The reaction will be made officially at due time as
many ministries are involved on those issues [redrawing the
boundaries]."
Unesco confirmed from Doha that it would be possible for the Virunga
world heritage site boundaries to be redrawn.
"Boundary changes happen all the time. They are quite common. Bits are
often added to parks to add integrity. The Australians want to chop a
bit off the Great Barrier Reef. It is certainly possible to redraw
boundaries," said a spokeswoman.
She added: "But it [oil exploitation in Virunga] would set an
extraordinary precedent. Virunga is Africa's oldest park. The
international reaction would be enormous."
A spokesman for Soco in London denied that the company was in any way
lobbying to have the Congolese government to redraw the Virunga world
heritage site boundaries.
"Soco has no involvement. Redrawing of park boundaries has nothing to
do with Soco. It's entirely up to the DRC and Unesco to decide," said
a spokesman.
"Soco should tell the public if it intends to pull the plug on oil
exploration in Virunga or not. We want a clear commitment from them
that they will respect the existing park boundaries," said Nat Dyer, a
campaigner for Global Witness.
In Doha this week, a committee of 21 countries called on the Congo DRC
to end the prospect of oil exploitation in Virunga national park.
The committee said oil, gas and mineral exploration and exploitation
are incompatible with world heritage status and urged all oil
companies to commit not to explore or exploit in any world heritage
sites.
http://www.google.ca/gwt/x?gl=CA&hl=en-CA&u=http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jun/19/soco-congo-drc-virunga-oil-unesco-doha&source=s&q=Soco+denies+paying+for+Congo+DRC+trip+to+UN+to+discuss+Virunga+oil+drilling
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