Politics and policy
By ALLAN ODHIAMBO
In Summary
- Attorney-General Githu Muigai said on Friday that Kenya had not been served with the court papers, but would defend the country’s interests when the matter comes up.
- The move by Somalia is expected to heighten uncertainty among oil exploration firms already at work or eyeing the blocks in the disputed off-shore territory.
The demand for Kenya’s in-land gas and oil
exploration blocks could climb, following the escalation of a dispute
with Somalia over the use of resources around shared Indian Ocean
off-shore border territory.
Somalia last week moved to the International Court of
Justice in The Hague to determine the maritime boundary between the two
coastal nations, which have disagreed over the rights for exploration
and revenue collection from oil discoveries.
Somalia asked the court to intervene, saying
“diplomatic negotiations, in which their respective views have been
fully exchanged, have failed to resolve this disagreement,” a statement
issued by the court early Friday said.
Attorney-General Githu Muigai said on Friday that
Kenya had not been served with the court papers, but would defend the
country’s interests when the matter comes up.
The move by Somalia is expected to heighten
uncertainty among oil exploration firms already at work or eyeing the
blocks in the disputed off-shore territory. Kenya recently identified
eight new offshore exploration blocks available for licensing, and all
but one of them are located in the contested area.
It has about 20 offshore exploration blocks, according to data by the National Oil Corporation of Kenya(Nock).
Shared territory
In May, Kenya expressed optimism of reaching a deal
with Somalia over the exploration of resources around the shared Indian
Ocean offshore territory. The government in its preliminary prospectus
for the successful Eurobond said the two countries were in discussions
to amicably resolve the matter.
“Kenya and Somalia are in discussion with regards
to their respective submissions to the UN Commission on the Limits
Continental Shelf,” the document said in part.
The two countries signed a memorandum of
understanding in 2009 that the border would run east along the line of
latitude, but Somalia which has lacked an effective central government
since 1991, then rejected the agreement in parliament.
Somalia’s government in 2012 accused Kenya of
awarding offshore oil and gas exploration blocks illegally to
multinationals Total and Eni because the concessions lie in waters
claimed by Somalia.
Kenya denied claims that ownership of the blocks
was contested and said there was no need to hold up exploration. Both
countries have since submitted separate submissions to the UN agency
seeking to claim additional territory on the shared Indian Ocean border.
According to the UN Convention on the Law of the
Sea, all countries that border the ocean are allowed to use 200 miles
into the ocean for exclusive economic purposes without interference from
other countries.
No comments :
Post a Comment