Liberia and Oil High on Agenda for Bush in Nigeria

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http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=564&ncid=716&e=12&u=/nm/20030711/ts_nm/bush_africa_dc

ABUJA, Nigeria (Reuters) - President Bush (news - web sites) was expected to come under more pressure to send troops to help restore peace in Liberia when he holds talks Saturday in Nigeria, a strategically important U.S. oil supplier. snip

OIL HIGH ON AGENDA


While Liberia, founded by freed American slaves in the 19th century, will be high on the agenda when Bush meets Obasanjo on Saturday, so will oil.


Nigeria and other African producers are increasingly important in the former Texas oilman's plans to lessen dependence on Middle Eastern suppliers for energy security.


U.S. oil imports from Africa, mostly Nigerian crude, have grown to some 17 percent.

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1. Usan deepwater field jointly owned by Total, ChevronTexaco and ExxonMobil

http://www.thisdayonline.com/ URL Keeper on can't link directly now 5th story from top.
Bush Arrives as Nigerian Oil Reserves Climb

United States President George W. Bush arrives Nigeria today in the last leg of his five-nation African tour.

The visit, coming barely three years after a similar one by former US President Bill Clinton, coincides with the discovery of a new deepwater offshore field with about 300 million barrel of recoverable oil reserves.

The new find in the Usan deepwater field jointly owned by Total, ChevronTexaco and ExxonMobil, will raise Nigeria's crude oil reserves to 33.3 billion barrels.

The Federal Government targets an oil reserve of 40 billion barrels by the year 2010.

However, as Nigeria's oil reserves continue to grow amid tight production limit approved by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), US may use the opportunity of Bush visit to the country today, to renew pressure on it to quit OPEC.