MEXICO CITY, July 27 (NNN-Xinhua) — The Mexican government has set up a negotiation table with businesses to establish “clear rules” for investment in the energy sector, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said.
At his morning press conference, the president referred to a meeting held Wednesday with leaders from the Business Coordinating Council and the Mexican Business Council.
“A table was set up with the private sector to deal with energy issues, and we are going to work in a joint way … What we are doing is defining rules, clear rules,” he said.
During his presidential campaign, Lopez Obrador proposed rescinding some parts of the energy reforms pushed through by his predecessor Enrique Pena Nieto, which allow for private initiative participation in various areas that were previously reserved for the state.
Lopez Obrador reiterated that the initiative has failed to bear fruit, for example, in the extraction of crude oil through the 107 contracts that were put up for bid by the previous government.
“These contracts are being respected, but up to now, oil has not been produced through these contracts,” the president stressed.
On various occasions, the president has called the energy reforms “a big lie,” saying that they have failed to increase the exploration and production of fuel.
The reforms are directed at allowing private capital to participate in the sector in the absence of resources for promoting investment projects by the state-owned Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex), and the Federal Electricity Commission. — NNN-XINHUA
