CALGARY�Talisman Energy Inc., Calgary, will ask its partners to adopt a code of ethics for a controversial crude oil project in Sudan that has been the target of civil rights protests.
Talisman CEO Jim Buckee said he will hold talks with state oil company partners in Beijing, Kuala Lumpur, and Khartoum but told shareholders at Talisman's annual meeting he was not optimistic about success. The meeting was picketed by members of Calgary�s Sudanese community, who claim the company�s involvement in Sudan is aiding the Moslem regime in Khartoum in a civil war with the Christian population of southern Sudan.
Buckee said Talisman is committed to the Greater Nile Oil Project, in which it has a 25% interest. The company has been under fire since last fall for its participation in the production, transportation, and export project, into which it entered when it acquired Canadian independent Arakis Energy Corp. in 1999 (OGJ, Jan. 17, 2000, p. 38).
Talisman reported earnings of $206.2 million (Can.) in the first quarter compared with $4 million for the same period last year. Talisman said it has become Canada�s largest oil and gas producer, bypassing Imperial Oil Ltd., Toronto. Its production was 409,000 boe/d in the first quarter, a 41% increase over production in first quarter 1999.
