Greenpeace activists preparing to board

Greenpeace Gives BP Offer Cool Response

BP has offered to suspend the claim against Greenpeace, if the environmental campaign group agrees to allow the company to continue drilling for oil in the Atlantic unhindered.

Chris Rose, Greenpeace's acting executive director said: "We will abide by the interdict but we will continue to oppose new oil exploration in Foinaven and elsewhere. BP is one of the richest oil companies in the world and is using its resources to stifle free and open discussion about environmental dangers that will affect us all."

But BP said: "BP's principal concern is not the recovery of damages. Rather, it is to ensure that its lawful operations are no interfered with and that safety is not compromised.

"BP has never questioned Greenpeace's right to campaign on climate change issues. But we do object to their employing unlawful tactics."

BP wants to get on with the job

BP won a court order telling Greenpeace to stop interfering with its offshore oil drilling. The Court of Session in Edinburgh granted an order against Greenpeace and several individually named campaigners from unlawfully disrupting the drilling.

BP is seeking to recover damages allegedly caused when Greenpeace campaigners boarded the oil rig Stenna Dee in the North Sea and halted operations for a week.

Greenpeace says the oil giant is out to bankrupt the environmentalists. Mr Rose said: "BP made £1.5 billion in its first six months of the year - it makes more in profit in 48 hours than Greenpeace receives income in a year. BP is trying to use its financial and legal muscle to crush defence of the environment."

The BBC's Alaisdair Sandford reports on the concerns of campaigning groups fighting big business
Dur: 3'07"

The occupation of the BP oil rig ended at the weekend when police evicted the protestors.

The Stenna Dee is due to begin abstracting oil off Shetland in six months' time. Greenpeace wants to stop that happening, claiming oil production damages the environment.

Greenpeace have a history of confronting oil companies. In 1995 they forced Shell to shelve plans to dump the Brent Spar platform. Greenpeace mobilised public opinion by claiming that the platform contained high levels of toxic material, a claim they later admitted was exaggerated.

Greenpeace is due to take on the Government and 21 oil companies, including BP, at the High Court in London next month in attempt to have the oil exploration licences declared unlawful.

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