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Afghans say former warlord meddling in China oil deal
Source: Reuters
Afghans say former warlord meddling in China oil deal
By Hamid Shalizi
KABUL | Mon Jun 11, 2012 1:49pm EDT
(Reuters) - The Afghan government said on Monday militia loyal to army chief of staff General Abdul Rashid Dostum were disrupting oil exploration by a Chinese state firm, underlining the challenges facing foreign investors in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan signed a deal late last year with China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) for the development of oil blocks in the Amu Darya basin in the north, a project expected to earn the war-torn state billions of dollars over two decades.
The deal covering drilling and a refinery in the northern provinces of Sar-e Pul and Faryab, where Dostum is from, is the first international oil production agreement reached by the Afghan government for several decades.
Two government officials said supporters of Dostum were demanding a share of the proceeds. "Armed men belonging to General Dostum are intimidating the Chinese engineers in the area and creating obstacles to exploring the oil block," a top aide to Karzai said.
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By Hamid Shalizi
KABUL | Mon Jun 11, 2012 1:49pm EDT
(Reuters) - The Afghan government said on Monday militia loyal to army chief of staff General Abdul Rashid Dostum were disrupting oil exploration by a Chinese state firm, underlining the challenges facing foreign investors in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan signed a deal late last year with China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) for the development of oil blocks in the Amu Darya basin in the north, a project expected to earn the war-torn state billions of dollars over two decades.
The deal covering drilling and a refinery in the northern provinces of Sar-e Pul and Faryab, where Dostum is from, is the first international oil production agreement reached by the Afghan government for several decades.
Two government officials said supporters of Dostum were demanding a share of the proceeds. "Armed men belonging to General Dostum are intimidating the Chinese engineers in the area and creating obstacles to exploring the oil block," a top aide to Karzai said.
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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/11/us-afghanistan-dostum-idUSBRE85A15W20120611
