Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05VILNIUS1224
2005-11-18 15:46:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Vilnius
Cable title:
CONOCOPHILLIPS BACK IN TOWN TO PURSUE INTEREST IN
how-toThis record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS VILNIUS 001224
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
STATE FOR EUR/NB, EB/CBA, L, P (DBAME)
COMMERCE FOR ITA/ADVOCACY CENTER (PNUGENT)
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON ENRG EINV PGOV PREL LH
SUBJECT: CONOCOPHILLIPS BACK IN TOWN TO PURSUE INTEREST IN
LITHUANIA'S OIL REFINERY
REF: A. VILNIUS 1186
B. VILNIUS 1007
UNCLAS VILNIUS 001224
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
STATE FOR EUR/NB, EB/CBA, L, P (DBAME)
COMMERCE FOR ITA/ADVOCACY CENTER (PNUGENT)
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON ENRG EINV PGOV PREL LH
SUBJECT: CONOCOPHILLIPS BACK IN TOWN TO PURSUE INTEREST IN
LITHUANIA'S OIL REFINERY
REF: A. VILNIUS 1186
B. VILNIUS 1007
1. (SBU) ConocoPhillips (CP) President and CEO James Mulva,
during a November 18 meeting with Prime Minister Algirdas
Brazauskas, reiterated CP's interest in buying the Mazeikiu
Nafta (MN) oil refinery in an equal partnership with the
Russian oil firm Lukoil. A PM spokeswoman told us that Mulva
also promised that CP would invest substantially in
modernizing MN. She provided the following readout from the
meeting.
2. (SBU) Mulva asked the PM why the CP/Lukoil consortium had
such a poor image in Lithuania. The PM said that CP did not
have a poor image in Lithuania, but admitted that Lukoil did,
especially among the Conservative opposition. The PM, noting
that the Conservatives will have a strong say on the MN
issue, encouraged Mulva to speak to the Conservatives to help
change this image. Mulva reportedly replied that he had
tried to set up a November 18 meeting with Conservative
leader Andrius Kubilius, but that Kubilius was out of town.
Mulva said that he would nevertheless try to meet Kubilius
soon.
3. (SBU) Mulva asked the PM to explain the significance of
the GOL's decision to begin negotiations with TNK-BP ahead of
the other bidders. The PM said that this decision did not
exclude other contestants and that the GOL would give serious
and equal consideration to all proposals.
4. (SBU) CP did not request a meeting at the Embassy during
today's visit to Vilnius. We tracked down CP President of
International Downstream Operations Mike Fretwell, who told
us that the meeting "went quite well" but added that "we have
a hill to climb," presumably in reference to Lukoil's image
problem. He was pressed for time, and said that he would
send us more details next week about today's meeting.
MULL
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
STATE FOR EUR/NB, EB/CBA, L, P (DBAME)
COMMERCE FOR ITA/ADVOCACY CENTER (PNUGENT)
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON ENRG EINV PGOV PREL LH
SUBJECT: CONOCOPHILLIPS BACK IN TOWN TO PURSUE INTEREST IN
LITHUANIA'S OIL REFINERY
REF: A. VILNIUS 1186
B. VILNIUS 1007
1. (SBU) ConocoPhillips (CP) President and CEO James Mulva,
during a November 18 meeting with Prime Minister Algirdas
Brazauskas, reiterated CP's interest in buying the Mazeikiu
Nafta (MN) oil refinery in an equal partnership with the
Russian oil firm Lukoil. A PM spokeswoman told us that Mulva
also promised that CP would invest substantially in
modernizing MN. She provided the following readout from the
meeting.
2. (SBU) Mulva asked the PM why the CP/Lukoil consortium had
such a poor image in Lithuania. The PM said that CP did not
have a poor image in Lithuania, but admitted that Lukoil did,
especially among the Conservative opposition. The PM, noting
that the Conservatives will have a strong say on the MN
issue, encouraged Mulva to speak to the Conservatives to help
change this image. Mulva reportedly replied that he had
tried to set up a November 18 meeting with Conservative
leader Andrius Kubilius, but that Kubilius was out of town.
Mulva said that he would nevertheless try to meet Kubilius
soon.
3. (SBU) Mulva asked the PM to explain the significance of
the GOL's decision to begin negotiations with TNK-BP ahead of
the other bidders. The PM said that this decision did not
exclude other contestants and that the GOL would give serious
and equal consideration to all proposals.
4. (SBU) CP did not request a meeting at the Embassy during
today's visit to Vilnius. We tracked down CP President of
International Downstream Operations Mike Fretwell, who told
us that the meeting "went quite well" but added that "we have
a hill to climb," presumably in reference to Lukoil's image
problem. He was pressed for time, and said that he would
send us more details next week about today's meeting.
MULL