U.S. Troops Answered Oil Firm's Pleas

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http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-arauca28dec28,1,6143387.story

U.S. Troops Answered Oil Firm's Pleas
Occidental's Colombian venture was jeopardized by leftist rebels. A taxpayer-funded effort helped secure the flow, documents show.

By T. Christian Miller, Times Staff Writer


WASHINGTON — In the spring of 2001, the president of Occidental Petroleum's Colombian operations made a private visit to the fortress-like U.S. Embassy in Bogota to plead for help.

A bombing campaign by leftist rebels had nearly shut down Oxy's Caño Limon oilfield in eastern Arauca province. Oxy had repeatedly repaired a damaged pipeline only to see the guerrillas hit it again.

Guimer Dominguez, the executive, threatened to permanently shutter Oxy's operations unless security improved. Such a closure would have been a serious blow to the Colombian government, which relied on oil royalties. And the U.S., in turn, relied on Colombia as an ally in its war on drugs.

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Oxy's previously undisclosed ultimatum is recounted in newly released government documents that show how private meetings at the embassy led to a Bush administration initiative to send U.S. soldiers to train Colombian soldiers to protect pipelines.