US. Deputy Minister:

oil companies must get access to Arctic oil and gas

2007-09-28

US Assistant Secretary of State, Claudia McMurray, says the big international oil companies should get access to the hydrocarbon resources of the Arctic. She believes this will help avoid national “ego-centric” positions and international conflicts in the region.

Speaking in a conference on the High North in Tromsø, Norway, this week, Ms McMurray maintained that it is not a question if countries will exploit the energy resources in the North, but rather how this can be made in the best way.

-It is critical that we avoid ego-centric attitudes and international conflicts in these areas. We have to let the big international oil companies get access to the oil and gas resources here. They are the only ones with the right capacities, she said, Mil.no reports.