Nicaragua Network Hotline - May 13, 2002 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Nicaragua Network Hotline May 13, 2002 Topics covered in this Hotline include: Canadian Investors Propose US$500 Million Oil Pipeline across Nicaragua; 'Dry Canal' Discussions Anger Indigenous Communities; and Bush Appoints First Woman U.S. Ambassador to Nicaragua Topic 1: Canadian Investors Propose US$500 Million Oil Pipeline across Nicaragua A Canadian company is proposing the construction of a pipeline to carry Venezuelan oil across Nicaragua following the route proposed by the SIT-Global Consortium for a high speed railroad (the so-called 'dry canal'). The oil would be pumped out of tankers off shore at Monkey Point on Nicaragua's Caribbean Coast into two pipelines that would carry it first to shore and then across Nicaragua to the Pacific Coast port of Corinto where it would be re-loaded onto other tankers. Those tankers would carry the "black gold" to the west coast of the United States. The pipelines, which would be built by Oil Pipeline Premier of Canada at a cost of about US$450 million, would carry 480,000 barrels of oil daily. According to two Canadian backers of the project, engineers Gerald Leroux and Rick Wojcik, if they obtain approval for the project from the Nicaraguan Institute of Energy (INE), the construction could be completed in less than a year and the pipeline could be functioning in approximately a year and a half. In projects like this oil pipeline and the high-speed freight railroad known as the 'dry canal,' which want to use Nicaragua as a simple pass through, the important question is what benefits will there be for the Nicaraguan people. When asked this question, Premier manager Juan Carlos Rivas answered that "Nicaragua will benefit because the government will be able to charge taxes for the transportation of oil through Nicaragua." Other advantages for the country, Rivas claimed, include "the use of national construction companies and the training of engineers in order for them to manage the pumps." Like the 'dry canal,' however, this pipeline would result in few long term jobs for ordinary workers after the construction phase was over. The impact on the environment from the construction of the pipeline would be great and afterward the country would live with the constant danger of damaging ruptures and oil leaks. Nicaragua evidently was chosen for the project not just because of its geographical characteristics but because, as Leroux said, "We consider that Nicaragua is a peaceful country with a responsible army." He went on to say, "We are tired of violence and lack of security. In Nicaragua, we believe that there are conditions to develop such a project." Topic 2: 'Dry Canal' Discussions Anger Indigenous Communities Indigenous leaders of Monkey Point on Nicaragua's Caribbean Coast met with representatives of the SIT-Global Consortium, one of the companies that would like to construct an inter-oceanic railway system across Nicaragua. The meeting was supposed to be the occasion for the company to hear the views of the communities that would be affected by the project, which supposedly would be valued at between US$1.5 and US$2 billion. The meeting was far from amicable, however, as the indigenous leaders demanded demarcation of their lands along with communal land titles so that they would be in a position of having more security over their land. And Gilberto Cuadra, President of SIT-Global, countered with the statement that "with or without demarcation, the project will begin!" Francisco Walter, in charge of indigenous demarcation for the Rama Community reacted by exclaiming, "To say that the project will be carried out with or without demarcation is an outrage. What you are saying with this is that we don't have any rights, because if we don't have a title we cannot fight for our indigenous lands. If we don't have demarcation, we can't say that this project will continue." In order to calm down the participants, Creole leader Pearl Watson said she appreciated the efforts of the representatives of SIT-Global to meet with the community of Monkey Point. She acknowledged that the company could not solve their problems regarding the demands for land demarcation. "The community does not expect SIT-Global to resolve our land problems. You don't have anything to do with this problem; you come to do your work, but the one who does have to deal with us is the government," said Watson. This was the second trip of SIT-Global to the community and this time they traveled with representatives of the Ministry of Environment (MARENA), who were collecting field information in order to formulate the terms of reference for the environmental assessment study that the company is required to do. Topic 3: Bush Appoints First Woman U.S. Ambassador to Nicaragua U.S. President George W. Bush appointed Barbara Calandra Moore as Ambassador to Nicaragua according to a press note from the While House. Moore, a U.S. Foreign Service career officer, is the first woman to serve as the United States' ambassador in Nicaragua. Previously, she was Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Colombia. From 1997 to 1998, she was deputy director of the Office of Inter-American Affairs of the U.S. Information Agency, where she supervised the public information activities of 16 embassies. >From 1993 to 1997, she worked as public affairs officer at the U.S. Embassy in Santiago, Chile. She has also served as a diplomat in Caracas, Mexico City and Toronto. Barbara Calandra Moore is one of two women that President Bush has designated as ambassadors in Latin America. Her appointment still needs to be ratified by the Senate. ________________________________________________________________________ This hotline is prepared from the Nicaragua News Service and other sources. To receive a more extensive weekly summary of the news from Nicaragua by e-mail or postal service, send a check for $60.00 to Nicaragua Network, 1247 E St., SE, Washington, DC 20003. We can be reached by phone at 202-544-9355. Our web site is: www.nicanet.org ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytcamer-05.19.02-07:57:56-5001