Zambia has asked Russia’s LUKOIL to procure 90,000 tonnes of emergency crude oil supplies worth $65 million to avert imminent fuel shortages, Finance Minister Ng’andu Magande said on Monday.

Magande said the government had contracted the company’s trading arm, Swiss-based LUKOIL International Trading and Supply Company (Litasco), to purchase the oil following a dispute with France’s Total over fuel pricing.

Total stopped importing crude oil for Zambia owing to the dispute, Magande said, adding that the abrupt halt had been part of the cause of severe fuel shortages experienced in the southern African country early this month.

He said Total, which owns half of the Indeni Oil Refinery, with the balance held by government, has been purchasing oil for Zambia since 2002.

Magande said the government had floated an international tender for a permanent supplier of crude oil to Zambia and that bids would close on Nov. 16 while negotiations with a successful bidder would end by Jan. 1 next year.

“What happened was unexpected… in May Total wanted to increase the price of fuel by 25 percent but we (the government) refused. Then they just told us that they (would) no longer buy crude oil for us and we were in a crisis,” he told a news conference.

“As government, we have gone to the Bank of Zambia (BoZ) to buy foreign currency for the import of 90,000 tonnes of oil and it must be here for processing by 10 November 2007,” Magande said, adding the government would pay Litasco directly.

Magande said Litasco would import the fuel on ad hoc status until Zambia found a permanent supplier.

He said the government was treating oil procurement as an ‘urgent’ matter, to avoid harming economic growth.

“If it means stopping (the building of) some clinics somewhere we will do that to make sure that we have oil,” Magande said.

Total officials were not immediately available for comment.

Zambia’s daily fuel consumption includes 1.5 million litres of diesel, which is used mainly in the copper and cobalt mines, and 500,000 tonnes of petrol.

Magande said Zambia’s fuel shortages this month were compounded by the refusal by an American bank to finance its recent purchase of 60,000 tonnes of crude oil because the source of the oil was Iran, which is facing a U.S. financing embargo.

Magande said Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa had intervened to source funds from a local commercial bank, drawing criticism from the opposition and analysts.

“Foreign-owned commercial banks don’t make decisions here and the only way of dealing with the matter was to speak to our local banks. There is no way we could have left the shortages to continue,” Magande said in response to criticism reported by local newspapers.

THE Church has called on all stakeholders in the constitution-making process to embrace one another and warned that the lack of love and unity that is emerging in the country is a recipe for disaster.

Mindolo Ecumenical Foundation director, Rev Reuben Daka said this at Anglican Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Lusaka yesterday during an interdenominational thanks-giving prayer service to mark Zambia’s 43rd independence anniversary.

Minister of Home Affairs, Ronnie Shikapwasha was the Government’s chief guest at the prayer meeting that attracted hundreds of worshippers from a cross-section of society.

In a moving sermon anchored on unity, Rev. Daka said he was concerned at the disagreements between the State and the Church on the constitution review process.

The service, dubbed: “forging a common future anchored on national pride and sustainable development through citizens’ participation,” Rev Daka said politicians were now exchanging insults because of envy and pride.

“We are so proud that we don’t want to listen to each other.

We have started keeping records of wrongs…evil is eating us away and we are always suspicious and not trusting each other,” he said.

“When you cannot trust one another that is a recipe for disaster.”

He said love should not be removed from the constitution-making process because doing so would lead the nation into trouble.

“Love must not be removed from whatever political struggles we are going through as a nation.

Love never fails.

There is nothing that can stand in the way of love not even the constitution-making process.

If you don’t have love then you are nothing,” Rev Daka said.

He said love should not be sacrificed despite the misunderstandings the nation was facing.

He called on all Zambians to embrace one another because that was a command from God.

“Let us not be self seeking.

Let us not keep records of wrongs…let us forgive one another and be humble and see where we are going as a nation,” he said.

He said Government was duty-bound to love because it had taken the position as a parent for all the people in the nation.

“You must allow love to dominate you.

The country will develop and take on the challenges if we stand as ‘One Zambia One Nation,” Rev Daka said.

Lieutenant General, Shikapwasha who represented President Mwanawasa took up the first Bible reading from Psalms 133:1-3.

In an interview later, Gen. Shikapwasha said he enjoyed the sermon and agreed there was need for Zambians to love one another.

Chief Justice, Ernest Sakala, Deputy Speaker, Mutale Nalumango, ministers of Labour, Ronald Mukuma, Foreign Affairs, Kabinga Pande, permanent secretaries, diplomats, senior MMD officials among others attended the service.

Opposition leaders were conspicuously absent with only All People’s Congress, president Ken Ngondo in attendance.

Government says tender procedures were followed in the procurement of crude oil and has dismissed media reports implicating the State of corruption as unfounded.

Acting Chief Government Spokesperson George Mpombo also described the media reports as a political move aimed at undermining Government operations.

Mr Mpombo says Government requested Total Outre-mer to supply both the July and
August 2007 crude feedstock cargo to allow the State make procurement arrangements
for the month of September 2007.

He indicated that in August, Total Outre-mer declined to supply the commodity for
Indeni until the Energy Regulation Board (ERB) made an adjustment forcing Government to reject the offer and opted to bring in cargo by itself to avoid a fuel crisis in the country.

Mr. Mpombo, who is also Defence Minister was speaking at a press briefing in Lusaka
today.

And Mr. Mpombo says President Levy Mwanawasa enjoys executive Constitutional powers to intervene when need arises to avoid the country being plunged into a serious
disaster.

He announced that Government through the Ministry of Energy and Water Development has requested the Zambia National Tender Board to invite open tenders for the supply of 1,440,000 metric tonnes of crude feedstock. He said the tenders opened on Oct 5 and will close on November 16 to supply on a much longer period of time effective January 2008.

And Mr. Mpombo has lashed out at Transparency International Zambia for undermining Government saying the data it collects is misleading and aimed at wooing support.

MMD National Secretary Katele Kalumba has directed the party to commence  party elections with branch Executive Committees .

Dr. Katele’s directive follows instructions he received from Party President Dr. Levy Mwanawasa to begin the process of leadership renewal through internal
democratic process.

He said in a statement to ZANIS  in Lusaka today that he has written to the Chairman
of Elections Mr. Mike Mulongoti who is also Information and Broadcasting Minister to
prepare clear guidelines for the conduct of elections at branch levels which will be
proceeded by constituency and district levels to be held next year.

The party National Secretary  has since lifted all suspensions and has further
directed provincial chairmen to communicate to all lower organs.

He said in an event that specific suspensions already in effect have not been fully
served, that a special case shall be made to his office through appropriate
channels.

Dr. Kalumba said a final decision shall be communicated to the affected organs after
study and consultations on each individual case.

‘In considering which case must be exceptional, executive committee must take into
account that the objective of this blanket lifting of suspension is to facilitate
competitive democracy with in our party,’ he said.

He said any indication that an appeal against lifting a suspension has the effect of
reducing competition for office will result in rejecting such an appeal.

Government says a provision for the dissolution of the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) is a necessary sanction to ensure that delegates do their work within the confines of law.

Acting Chief Government spokesperson George Mpombo said it was proper that there is
a provision for dissolution of the NCC should its work degenerate into breach of
law.

Mr. Mpombo said the provision for the Republican President to dissolve an unruly NCC
is a necessary sanction to ensure that delegates conduct themselves property.

He said the provision is a security safeguard that would be used only when it
becomes absolutely necessary and unless the NCC chair is seen to be party to the
breach of the order.

He said it is at this stage that government would consult the chair and the
secretary before dissolution of the conference.

Mr. Mpombo said President Levy Mwanawasa meant acts likely to impede implementation
of the Act and governance that would constitute an offense.

” Those who express their right in a lawful manner need not fear because the
president has no intention of arresting nor threatening law abiding citizens for
stating their fears, concerns or wishes,” he said.

Mr. Mpombo told ZANIS in a press statement that government is concerned about
misinformation and ignorance being banded and exhibited by some political parties
and civil societies on the provisions of the NCC.

Mr. Mpombo, who is also Defence Minister, said people claiming that the NCC does not
provide a new constitution to replace the current one have not read the act.

He stated that Section 13 of the Act provided for the conference to consider and
deliberate the provisions of the report of the constitution and the draft
constitution.

The minister added that the Act provided that the entire draft shall be submitted to
a referendum if a decision to do so is made by the members.

He said it is surprising that the Patriotic Front (PF) party is calling for
proportional representation that equates political parties with church mother
bodies.

“The church mother bodies have been included on the NCC for the wisdom that the
participants can draw from them as non partisan people and not to represent their
church members,” he said.

He said a church mother body cannot claim mandate to speak for its flock on
contentious issues such as content of the constitution because its members belong to
different political parties that may represent them.

Unless it was the intention of the PF to leave out the church mother bodies that
were established less than ten years ago, Mr. Mpombo said there is no justification
to demand that only church bodies that had existed for ten years ago should qualify
 to send representatives.

Mr. Mpombo added that it is an insult on the intelligence of church leaders to
suggest that a church mother body that was established less than ten years ago will
be an appendage of the government.

He has since advised PF party to read National Assembly of Zambia Standing Orders
104 if it want certain parts of the NCC Act amended.

Lands Minister, Bradford Machila, has disclosed that incidences of corruption in his ministry have reduced due to intervention measures put in place to curb the vice.

Speaking in an interview with ZANIS in Kasama, Mr. Machila, however, said more work
needed to be done to completely root out the corrupt elements in his ministry.

Mr. Machila said he has managed to instill more discipline among workers in his
ministry resulting in the drop of corruption cases.

He warned that any officer found practising corruption would not be spared but dealt
with severely.

Mr. Machila noted that in the past, some ghost names of people were issued with
title deeds for land but that corrective measures have since been taken to redress
the situation.

The minister said he is determined to fight corruption head with the help of law
enforcement agencies to ensure that his ministry was corrupt-free.

He has since urged members of public to continue reporting corrupt activities in his
ministry so that the law could take its course against the culprits.

Meanwhile, Mr. Machila has advised councils countrywide to deal with all forms of
illegal land allocation in order to bring sanity to land management.

The minister said he was aware of rampant illegal land allocation in the country but
warned people involved in the vice that they would be prosecuted for their
irresponsible actions.

Mr. Machila further urged the local authorities to sensitize the public on the need
for them to develop their land as failure to do so would result in Government
repossessing their property.