FIVE months after the extension of the Cepu Block MoU was signed by the government and ExxonMobil, the 2 million barrels of oil in Central and East Java remain unexploited. One big problem is the question of who has the right to operate those oilfields.

Exxon wants to be the sole operator of Cepu, while Pertamina, wholly owned by the government, wants the block to be operated jointly. Negotiations during the past year have not produced any points