Quito, March 2 (RHC)-- In Ecuador, the Amazon Defense Front (FDA) has demanded that the government refrain from cleaning up Chevron's oil pollution so that the transnational company can be held responsible for its environmental damages.

The Minister of Hydrocarbons, Carlos Perez, announced that he asked the Attorney General's Office to authorize the state-owned company Petroamazonas to clean up the biggest oil disaster in Amazon's basin history.

The Attorney General's Office gave its consent "because all the evidence that has been taken [for the litigation] has already been executed," Perez said, adding that the cleanup work will begin this year. The affected population, however, reacted with indignation to these announcements.

During a press conference in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, the FDA representatives maintained that they do not oppose environmental remediation but indicated that Chevron's damages "go much further" than those indicated in the last ruling issued by an arbitration tribunal, which exempted the oil company from liability.