The South African oil parastatal Soekor has issued a statement saying that, contrary to reports in some leading South African newspapers, the company is not about to enter into any agreement with the Sudanese government that would allow it to conduct oil prospecting in the southern parts of that country. "Reports to this effect are inaccurate," said Acting Chief Executive Kevin Stallbom. To put the record straight, Stallbom said Soekor shared the concerns of the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference (SACBC) "that an insensitive pursuit of oil interests in the Sudan might contribute to the escalation of the civil war in that country".