HOUSTON // The oil giant BP yesterday confirmed it had lobbied the UK government over a prisoner transfer agreement with Libya in late 2007.
The admission is the latest illustration of the pressure the company is facing in the United States as it battles to stem the flow from a Gulf of Mexico oil well which has caused the worst offshore spill in US history.
BP, which is in US lawmakers' crosshairs over the disaster, could face being barred from getting new US offshore oil and gas exploration leases for up to seven years under a bill being considered in the US Congress.
In a statement released yesterday the British company said: "BP told the UK government that we were concerned about the slow progress that was being made in concluding a Prisoner Transfer Agreement with Libya.
"We were aware that this could have a negative impact on UK commercial interests, including the ratification by the Libyan government of BP's exploration agreement."
In August 2009, Britain released a Libyan convicted of blowing up a US jet, angering the United States. Many of the 270 dead in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing were American. BP said, however, it was not involved in discussions regarding the release of Abdel Basset Ali al Megrahi. "The decision to release al Megrahi in August 2009 was taken by the Scottish government. It is not for BP to comment on the decision of the Scottish government. BP was not involved in any such discussions about the release of al Megrahi," it said.
Last night BP planned to launch a critical pressure test on its ruptured Gulf of Mexico oil well after fixing a leak that had halted the operation.
The company is trying to test a fix to the oil well that could staunch the gushing flow of crude. The has polluted the ocean and coastline for nearly three months.
Kent Wells, BP's senior vice president of exploration and production, said the company replaced a leaking hose and would launch the pressure test - postponed after finding the leak - "later in the day".
A leak in a line connected to one of the valves in a capping device was the latest setback for the company, which has seen its share value and reputation battered as it has sought to stem the flow of oil.
The Gulf spill started after an explosion at a rig on April 20 ruptured an undersea well and killed 11 workers. The disaster has soiled hundreds of miles of shoreline and shut down about a third of Gulf fisheries.
BP installed a capping device on the well on Monday and started shutting a sequence of valves after getting approval from the US government, which delayed the plan by 24 hours on fears the process could irreparably damage the well.
* Reuters
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FA Cup quarter-final draw
The matches will be played across the weekend of 21 and 22 March
Sheffield United v Arsenal
Newcastle v Manchester City
Norwich v Derby/Manchester United
Leicester City v Chelsea
SPECS
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Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Ultra processed foods
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
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'Midnights'
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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A new relationship with the old country
Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates
The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.
ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.
ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.
DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.
Signed
Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed
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