BP chairman sorry for 'small people' remark
The chairman of BP said he was sorry for speaking clumsily after saying at the White House that the energy giant cares about “small people” hurt by the Gulf oil spill.
BP Chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg said in a written statement that he was trying to say BP understands how deeply the spill has affected people who live along the Gulf of Mexico and make a living from it.
Hours earlier, Mr Svanberg told reporters in Washington that he hears comments that big oil firms are greedy or don’t care. He then said: “We care about the small people.”
He made the remark after President Barack Obama spoke of the small business owners and fishermen harmed by the nation’s worst oil spill.
The company has agreed to set up a $20bn (€16bn) fund to help victims of the spill.
Chief executive Tony Hayward will face the anger of US politicians today when he appears at a Congressional hearing.
