Brazil turns to Army and National Force to ensure safety of Libra Field auction

Criado em 18/10/13 15h50 e atualizado em 18/10/13 15h51
Por Luciano Nascimento Edição:s Fonte:Agência Brasil

Brasília – The Libra Field auction, scheduled for Monday (October 21) in Rio de Janeiro, will be safeguarded by over a thousand security agents. Apart from the civil and military police, agents from the Army and National Security Force will also be in charge of ensuring the safety of the event.

The increasingly strong protests staged by oil workers against the auction led Rio governor Sérgio Cabral to request reinforcements. The decision to turn to the Armed Forces was made on Thursday (October 17), after a meeting with ministers Celso Amorim (Defense), José Eduardo Cardozo (Justice), and José Elito Carvalho (chief of the Institutional Security Cabinet of the Presidency of the Republic).

“The constitution provides for the Armed Forces to act on behalf of public security for two purposes only: for protecting national borders, and ensuring law and order. President Dilma [Rousseff] has already given her official authorization,” Cardozo said.

The venue selected for the auction, Windsor Barra Hotel, in western Rio de Janeiro, will be isolated. Security measures are expected to start on Sunday evening (October 20), and last for 24 hours. The operation will be coordinated by the Eastern Military Command (“CML”) and headed by general Francisco Modesto.

Cardozo regards the Army’s participation in the security scheme as normal, and does not think that the protests are likely to succeed in canceling the auction. “It’s a routine operation to ensure a good security standard in such a significant event for the country. All security forces will be working in cooperation with the Armed Forces in a necessary and normal effort for an event on this scale.”

The Libra area, offered by tender, holds a reserve estimated at 8-12 billion barrels of oil. Eleven companies have registered for the auction. The area is expected to produce up to 1.4 million barrels of oil per day, around two thirds of the country’s current output – around 2 million barrels.

The strike, staged by oil workers and expected to continue indefinitely, started on Wednesday (October 16) at Petrobras’s refineries, terminals, platforms, production fields and operational units, and includes 18 out of 42 platforms on the Campos Basin, off the northern coast of Rio de Janeiro. The trade fights for their salaries to be raised, and the Libra Field auction to be canceled.

Editors: Nádia Franco / Nira Foster
Translators: Fabrício Ferreira