Political, environmental groups tar

[moe@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Subject: Political, environmental groups target Texaco

Friday May 9 3:37 PM EDT 

Political, environmental groups target Texaco

NEW YORK, May 9 (Reuter) - Environmental groups, Burmese political activists
and the Reverend
Jesse Jackson's Rainbow-Push Coalition plan to descend on Texaco Inc's
annual shareholder
meeting in Rye Brook, N.Y., on May 13. 

The Westchester People's Action Coalition, New York Student Environmental
Coalition and
Wetlands Environmental and Social Justice Centre said that they will
organize a protest outside the
meeting. 

The Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility, a church shareholder
activist organisation, will
address the shareholder meeting. 

The environmental activists said they are targeting Texaco's environmental
record in Ecuador. 

A legal case against the company was rejected by a New York State Federal
Court in White Plains
and a motion for reconsideration is under appeal following a submission to
the courts by the
Ecuadorean government. 

Texaco has until May 12 to make a response in the case which seeks $800
million to $1.0 billion
from the oil major for allegedly polluting rivers and land and displacing
Amazon Indians. 

The Free Burma Coalition, a student organization, will also be represented
at the annual meeting to
protest Texaco's participation in Yetagun gas field in the Andaman Sea, some
125 miles off the
Burmese coast, in which it holds a 42.9 percent stake. 

Activists charge that U.S. companies which invest in Burma are prolonging
the life of the country's
military government. 

Father Joe LaMar of the Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibilty said
that Texaco could avoid
the opprobrium which has attached to another U.S. oil company involved in
Burma, Unocal Corp ,
by pulling out now. 

"They indicated to us that they were not necessarily committed to Burma.
They can get out with a
profit now," LaMar said. 

Last year, Texaco shareholders rejected calls to pull out of Burma at the
annual meeting by a large
majority. 

Since then, the U.S. has imposed economic sanctions on new investment in
Burma and New York
City and some public sector and state pension funds have indicated they are
considering divesting
stakes in companies which invest there. 

Texaco has always said it will abide by U.S. law in its dealings in Burma. 

Jesse Jackson is also expected to attend the annual meeting to protest
against Texaco's treatment of
black employees, other groups said. 

His office could not be reached for comment. 

Texaco has been a target for Rainbow-Push since the company lost a racial
discrimination lawsuit
last year. 

Texaco settled a suit brought by black employees last year for $176.1
million but faces a new race
suit in a Manhattan federal court.