US targets oil in Africa

US Occidental Petroleum Corporation announced on July 30 that Libya had approved the company to resume operation in the country. This is a substantial step of American oil companies' return to Libya since the United States eased the economic sanctions against Libya in 2004. This is also one of the measures of the United States in stepping up implementing its strategy on oil resources in Africa in recent years.

Africa has huge oil reserves, next to only the Middle East and South America, thus is called "the second Gulf region". The proved oil reserves in Africa have increased from 58 billion barrels in 1984 to 112 billion barrels in 2004. Currently the daily oil production in the African continent exceeds eight million barrels, about 11 percent of the world's total. Experts predict, by 2010, Africa is expected to take up one fifth of the world's oil production. Its rich oil resources have become an indispensable chip of the United States in its global energy strategy.

As the world's largest petroleum consumer, the United States has always longed for diversified oil supplies, and Africa is one of the choices. But Africa was once snubbed by the US diplomatic policies. After the "9.11" event, the Bush administration attached importance to the national security and launched anti-terrorism operations, while on the other hand adjusted its Africa policy through re-recognizing Africa's strategic value and taking it as a propping point of the US global strategy. The "National Security Strategy of the United States" published in 2003 set strengthening cooperation with African energy producers as an important way to "tighten US energy security". US crude oil imports from the African region had risen from 1997's seven percent to 2003's 15 percent of its total imports. As predicted by US National Intelligence Council, by 2015, 25 percent of US total oil imports will be from Africa.

Given this, the United States launched all-round energy diplomacy -- US political leaders visited Africa frequently. American oil companies all the more spared no effort. ExxonMobil invested hugely in an oil pipeline about one thousand kilometers long to transport oil from Cameroon to Atlantic coast. Another US oil giant Cheveron planned to invest US$20 billion in the next five years to expand its production capability in Africa. Western African countries adjacent to Guinea Bay have been set by the United States as its top target in which the United States invested large amount of money: ESSO alone input nearly US$10 billion in three deep-sea oil exploitation projects in Angola. Now US oil exploration and exploitation has covered 200, 000 square kilometers in Guinea Bay, involving nearly 10 countries. Meanwhile, new changes have been made in US policy towards Africa to gradually ease its relations with countries that have rich oil resources but stand opposed to itself, such as Libya and Sudan. Occidental Petroleum Corporation's being the first American company to resume operation in Libya is an obvious example.

What draws people's attention is: in October 2003, the United State sent a special force of about 1,800 soldiers to its military base in Djibouti; in November the same year, it conducted joint military exercise with Senegal and Gambia; in 2004 it spent US$65 million on the military trainings in Mali, Niger, Chad and Mauritania and installed a front line battle base in Ethiopia; US troops held maritime drill in Gulf of Guinea in West Africa last January; the United States and eight Western African countries held joint military drill in June...

Although the Bush administration constantly explained the military operations in Africa with the excuse of anti-terrorism and national security, documents of the Pentagon and the State Department have more than once indicated that anti-terrorism is closely connected with oil supply. Public opinions think that the US conducting major military operations in Africa one after another shows that it is continuing to step up implementing its Africa policy centered on anti-terrorism and oil security.

By People's Daily Online