GENEVA -(Dow Jones)- French oil major Total SA (TOT) isn’t doing enough to press Myanmar to free political prisoners, France‘s new foreign minister said Thursday. Appointed foreign minister by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Bernard Kouchner is known for advocating interventionism in human rights matters, but his statement suggests that French multinationals, and not just state foreign policy, may be in for criticism as well. The Myanmar issue is a particularly sensitive one for Kouchner, a leading human rights activist who in 2003 was accused of exonerating Total in a report on its Yadana gas pipeline project that was commissioned by the company. During a press briefing at a United Nations-sponsored business leaders conference, Kouchner said “Total is not doing enough. Everything must be done to put pressure on the government,” including through trade, on political detainees in the country. He mentioned opposition leader and Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, currently under house arrest and whom “I would like to visit a third time.” A Total spokeswoman said the company doesn’t get involved in “politics.” But she pointed out that in Myanmar, Total respects human rights in relation to the Yadana project by, for instance, offering free health care to local residents. She added the group finances a U.N. program to train Myanmar officials in good governance. Kouchner said, however, that the finger should also be pointed at a U.S. company operating “30 minutes by walking distance” from the Total project. Unocal, now part of Chevron Corp. (CVX), also operates a project in the Yadana area. He also noted that Chinese companies play a strong investment role in Myanmar. “When a company stops working (on a project in Myanmar), the Chinese replaces it,” he added. Image source: img294.imageshack.us
News selected by Covalence | Region: Africa | Company: Total, Chevron | Source: Dow Jones Newswires
