U.S. Ambassador Demands
that Nicaragua Return
Seized Esso Storage
Tanks
The Associated Press,
MANAGUA, Nicaragua: The
U.S. ambassador insisted
that the Nicaraguan
government immediately
return a storage
terminal seized from a
U.S. oil company, saying
the takeover threatens
foreign investment and
is a ploy to promote
Venezuelan petroleum
products.
A judge embargoed the
assets of Esso Standard
Oil, owned by
Texas-based ExxonMobil,
on Aug. 18, saying the
company owed US$3
million (€2.2 million)
in taxes.
The company says it owes
no taxes. Esso spokesman
Alfredo Fernandez said
Thursday night that the
seizure was illegal
because Nicaraguan law
prohibits a judge from
turning over a company's
assets to a third party.
U.S. Ambassador Paul
Trivelli, who spoke
about the matter
Thursday night during a
public event, said the
motive for the seizure
was "to persuade Esso to
accept Venezuelan
petroleum products."
"There is no doubt about
that," he said.
Energy Minister Emilio
Rappaccioli said
Thursday that the
federal customs agency
authorized state-run
Petroleos de Nicaragua,
or Petronic, to use six
of seven idle Esso tanks
to store 120,000 barrels
of oil imported from
Venezuela.
Rappaccioli acknowledged
that Petronic does not
have the storage
capacity for the oil and
that it was costing a
lot of money to have the
Venezuelan oil tanker
sit anchored offshore.
Nicaraguan President
Daniel Ortega, a former
Marxist who spent the
1980s fighting the
U.S.-backed Contra rebel
insurgency, has promised
to maintain ties to
Washington and respect
private property after
returning to power in
January.
But he also has cozied
up to Venezuelan
President and fierce
U.S. critic Hugo Chavez,
who has promised to send
10,000 barrels of
discounted oil daily to
Nicaragua as part of an
agreement signed with
Ortega in January.
Venezuela still counts
the United States as its
top oil buyer, although
Chavez has sought to
diversify his clientele
amid tensions with
Washington by selling
more to Latin America,
the Caribbean and as far
away as China. |
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