Nigerian Villagers Stopeed To Beset Platforms

Hundreds of protesters in Nigeria ended their three-day besiegement of oil platforms in the oil-rich Niger Delta on Tuesday, after owners of the platforms, Royal Dutch-Shell and ChevronTexaco Corp. agreed to negotiate.

It was not clear when operations would fully resume. The siege resulted in the shutdown of production of 120,000 barrels a day.

Villagers were protesting a lack of local benefits from more than four decades of oil drilling around their impoverished community, Kula.