Nicaragua Says Ecopetrol
Can’t Claim Disputed Block
By Blake Schmidt
(Bloomberg) -- Nicaragua’s hydrocarbons
director said Colombia shouldn’t be allowed
to offer oil concessions in disputed
Caribbean waters which the Central American
country is fighting for control of in the
International Court of Justice.
Colombia’s state oil company, Ecopetrol SA,
was the highest bidder June 22 for two
exploration blocks near the Caribbean island
of San Andres. Nicaragua claims one of the
blocks and part of the other, said Veronica
Artiles, head of hydrocarbon development for
Nicaragua’s Ministry of Energy and Mines.
“That’s impossible because those blocks are
currently in litigation in The Hague,”
Artiles said by phone from Managua. “They
cannot grant concessions until the case is
resolved.”
The International Court in 2007 upheld a
1928 treaty that gave Colombia sovereignty
over San Andres. It has yet to rule on
conflicting maritime claims. Costa Rica and
Honduras have also filed petitions with The
Hague claiming rights in the dispute.
Nicaragua doesn’t recognize the 1928 treaty
granting the area to Colombia because it was
signed during a U.S. military occupation.
The accord was agreed upon as the U.S. was
expanding military power in the hemisphere
to control the Panama Canal, former
Nicaraguan Foreign Minister Norman Caldera
said.
Caldera, author of a book on Nicaragua’s
sovereignty claim over the island, said he
expects a ruling by The Hague within a year.
Disputes over Central American waters are
escalating as the region’s growing economies
seek offshore oil to power growth and as
fishing boats cross more frequently into
neighboring waters, Caldera said.
Chances at Hague
Kevin Casas-Zamora, a senior fellow at the
Brookings Institution, said it’s unlikely
Nicaragua will prevail at The Hague.
President Daniel Ortega is focusing on the
dispute to cause trouble for Colombia and
distract public attention from domestic
problems, he said.
“I would be surprised if The Hague comes up
with anything that changes the status quo,”
in which Colombia will explore for oil in
the disputed waters, Casas-Zamora said. “For
Ortega it’s a way of poking the eye of the
Colombians.”
Ortega’s closest ally, Venezuelan President
Hugo Chavez, has strained relations with
Colombia, and Ortega has given asylum to at
least three alleged members of Colombia’s
largest rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed
Forces of Colombia.
In a meeting with Chavez in April, Ortega
accused Colombia of promoting an
expansionist policy and said its military is
occupying potential offshore oil deposits in
Nicaragua’s Caribbean territory.
Competing Claims
Nicaragua claims about 20,000 square
kilometers (7,200 square miles) in the area
offered for auction by Colombia, according
to maps provided by the two countries’
hydrocarbon agencies.
Ecopetrol said it will explore in Cayos
blocks 1 and 5 in a partnership with
Madrid-based Repsol YPF SA and Buenos Aires-
based YPF SA, according to a statement.
Nicaragua plans to offer exploration in
block 1 and part of block 5 though no date
has been set for an auction, said Artiles.
Ecopetrol didn’t immediately respond to a
request for comment.
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