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U.S. Army Captain Michael Kelvington, commander of the Battle company, 1-508 Parachute Infantry battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, bows next to remains of Gulam Dostager, a member of Afghan Local Police who was killed in the blast of an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) during the joint Tor Janda (Black Flag in Pashtu) operation, in Zahri district of Kandahar province, southern Afghanistan May 25, 2012. REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov (AFGHANISTAN - Tags: MILITARY CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

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U.S. Army Captain Michael Kelvington, commander of the Battle company, 1-508 Parachute Infantry battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, bows next to remains of Gulam Dostager, a member of Afghan Local Police who was killed in the blast of an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) during the joint Tor Janda (Black Flag in Pashtu) operation, in Zahri district of Kandahar province, southern Afghanistan May 25, 2012. REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov (AFGHANISTAN - Tags: MILITARY CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

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Members of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels fly over the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan as part of the 25th annual Fleet Week celebration in New York, May 23, 2012. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz (UNITED STATES - Tags: MILITARY ANNIVERSARY TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

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BP chief apologizes for "small people" remark

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BP Chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg speaks to the media after a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House in Washington, June 16, 2010. REUTERS/Jim Young

BP Chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg speaks to the media after a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House in Washington, June 16, 2010.

Credit: Reuters/Jim Young

WASHINGTON | Thu Jun 17, 2010 5:45am EDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - BP Chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg on Tuesday apologized for speaking "clumsily" by referring to those hurt by his company's oil spill as "small people."

"I spoke clumsily this afternoon and for that I am very sorry," Svanberg said in a statement, after remarks he made following a White House meeting with President Barack Obama earlier on Wednesday drew widespread ridicule and condemnation.

"What I was trying to say -- that BP understands how deeply this affects the lives of people who live along the Gulf and depend on it for their livelihood -- will best be conveyed not by any words but by the work we do to put things right for the families and businesses who've been hurt," Svanberg said.

After meeting Obama, the BP executive, who is Swedish, apologized for the oil spill and tried to convey his concern for those affected by the environmental disaster.
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Comments (24)
jpg366 wrote:
No, once again, “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.”

Jun 16, 2010 9:38pm EDT  --  Report as abuse
yimji_wills wrote:
Perhaps it was the “small people” attitude that allowed BP to drill and harvest oil without a proper safety and contingency plans for this kind of predictable calamity. Clearly oil rigs are going into that group of industrial activities that are “not in my back yard”. Where the ocean is concerned, it’s in everybody’s backyard.

Jun 16, 2010 9:41pm EDT  --  Report as abuse
mckibbinusa wrote:
I am a small person — but, I do think that the US should pursue reparations from BP for any and all damages caused, along with punitive damages equal to ten times the damages claimed and paid. But again, I am a small person…

Jun 16, 2010 9:43pm EDT  --  Report as abuse
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