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ExxonMobil seeks to toss Indonesia suit
US supermajor ExxonMobil may ask to question Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as a witness in its defense against a human rights-abuse lawsuit, a move that could be used to throw the case out of court. Yudhoyono…was Indonesia’s minster of mining and energy during the 1999-2001 period in which villagers in Aceh province claim they were abused by security forces employed by the company, Alex Oh, a lawyer for ExxonMobil, said. “His conduct will be squarely at issue in this case,” Oh said…She asked the judge to dismiss the suit on separation-of-power grounds because seeking testimony from Yudhoyono and others may interfere with US foreign policy…