<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic News Posted: Sunday, March 30, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

Venezuelan Labor Minister Maria Cristina Iglesias has visited the International Labor Organization (ILO) HQ in Geneva to defend the Venezuelan government's handling of the December-January national stoppage. 

Iglesias has told the ILO Administrative Council that Federation of Chambers of Industry & Commerce (Fedecamaras)  and Venezuelan Confederation of Trade Unions (CTV)  leaderships organized a "financial coup against the Venezuela government, which was aborted by massive support from workers and the People."

Calling the national stoppage a "lockout," Ms. Iglesias refuted accusations that the government is persecuting Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA)  workers and employees. 

• CTV general secretary, Manuel Cova was in Geneva last week to defend CTV president, Carlos Ortega, Fedecamaras president Carlos Fernandez and top PDVSA executives. 

Oil Workers Federation (Fedepetrol) president, Rafael Rosales accompanied the Minister and spoke at a specially convened conference on Venezuela at Geneva University.

<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic News Posted: Sunday, March 30, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

The National Assembly (AN) Economic and Financial Consultancy Office puts losses caused by the December-February national stoppage at $7.3 billion said to be 7.6% of GDP.

Loss in the oil sector for production stoppage and short term crude and products sales is estimated at $2.8 billion aggravated by investment in gasoline imports covering 1% GDP making an all round impact of $3.7 billion or 3.8% of GDP 2002.

The Office estimates that in the non-oil sector, the negative economic impact was $3.6 billion or 3.8% of GDP 2002. The manufacturing sector was hardest hit followed by services and real estate.

• Taxes from oil and non-oil sectors dropped 1.6% GDP which converts to a fall equivalent to 9.3% of total 2002 contributions.

This year the Office forecasts $84 billion GDP which is 15% less than in 2002.

<a href=acs.yellowbrix.com>Source: The Independent on Sunday Publication date: 2003-03-30

Genetically modified crops specially engineered to kill pests in fact nourish them, startling new research has revealed.

The research - which has taken even the most ardent opponents of GM crops by surprise - radically undermines one of the key benefits claimed for them. And it suggests that they may be an even greater threat to organic farming than has been envisaged.

It strikes at the heart of one of the main lines of current genetic engineering in agriculture: breeding crops that come equipped with their own pesticide.

Biotech companies have added genes from a naturally occurring poison, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), which is widely used as a pesticide by organic farmers. The engineered crops have spread fast. The amount of land planted with them worldwide grew more than 25- fold - from four million acres in 1996 to well over 100 million acres (44.2m hectares) in 2000 - and the global market is expected to be worth $25bn (pounds 16bn) by 2010.

Drawbacks have already emerged, with pests becoming resistant to the toxin. Environmentalists say that resistance develops all the faster because the insects are constantly exposed to it in the plants, rather than being subject to occasional spraying.

But the new research - by scientists at Imperial College London and the Universidad Simon Rodrigues in Caracas, Venezuela - adds an alarming new twist, suggesting that pests can actually use the poison as a food and that the crops, rather than automatically controlling them, can actually help them to thrive.

They fed resistant larvae of the diamondback moth - an increasingly troublesome pest in the southern US and in the tropics - on normal cabbage leaves and ones that had been treated with a Bt toxin. The larvae eating the treated leaves grew much faster and bigger - with a 56 per cent higher growth rate.

They found that the larvae "are able to digest and utilise" the toxin and may be using it as a "supplementary food", adding that the presence of the poison "could have modified the nutritional balance in plants" for them.

And they conclude: "Bt transgenic crops could therefore have unanticipated nutritionally favourable effects, increasing the fitness of resistant populations."

Pete Riley, food campaigner for Friends of the Earth, said last night: "This is just another example of the unexpected harmful effects of GM crops.

"If Friends of the Earth had come up with the suggestion that crops engineered to kill pests could make them bigger and healthier instead, we would have been laughed out of court.

"It destroys the industry's entire case that insect-resistant GM crops can have anything to do with sustainable farming."

Patrick Holden, director of the Soil Association, said it showed that GM crops posed an even "worse threat to organic farming than had previously been imagined". Breed- ing resistance to the Bt insecticide sometimes used by organic farmers was bad enough, but problems would become even greater if pests treated it as "a high- protein diet".

Publication date: 2003-03-30

<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic News Posted: Sunday, March 30, 2003 By: Thomas Allsap

Date: Sat, 29 Mar 2003 08:39:27 +0000 From: Thomas Allsap allsapt@pdvsa.com To: Editor@Vheadline.com Subject: Re: Half of Venezuela's merchant navy tankers

Dear Mr. O'Donoghue: With regards to your article, it seems to be short of fact and long on fiction.

1. Five of 13 is nearer a third and not half, as per your headline.

2. PDV Marina is not the Venezuelan Merchant Navy. This is a much larger fleet that incorporates all merchant ships flying the Venezuelan flag.

3. At present, there are no PDV Marina ships in dry dock. Two ships are awaiting repairs. These are "Ambrosio" and "Paria".

4. "Paria" and "Caura" have not lost their international classification. On "Paria," the Certificate of Class is in suspension pending outstanding surveys that were due to be completed by 31-12-02. The certificates on "Caura" are all in date and she is free to trade when her next cargo is nominated. The only "lack of maintenance" involved was the failure of the previous PDV Marina management to dry dock "Paria" last December.

5. the asphalt carrier "Inciarte" does not have a split, nor is she in danger of losing her certification. The ship did have a split in a ballast tank that was discovered when we were carrying out a thorough inspection after the ship was recovered from the striking staff (to check for sabotage). The damage was clearly not new and the ship had been trading for some considerable time with this damage. Repairs have been completed and, for the last week, "Inciarte" has been waiting for an asphalt cargo and is due to load and sail shortly.

6. "Ambrosio" does have damage in a ballast tank and also on two main cargo loading/discharging lines on deck.  Again, the damage was discovered during the thorough inspection carried out after recovering the ship. We consider that the previous management were quite negligent and criminal in that they did not discover and repair the damages when "Ambrosio" dry docked last year (2002). The damages were very obvious.

7. "Moruy" does not have problems with the main engine. When we recovered the ship, both main boilers were in damaged condition. We repaired one, traded the ship safely for a few coastal voyages, and then brought her back to anchor whilst we repaired the other boiler (the ship is perfectly capable of operating safely with only one boiler operative). This work was completed on Friday and the ship will continue operations.

8. "Pilin Leon"  is not at anchor with engine problems. The ship is due to arrive off Bajo Grande tonight to discharge a multi-grade cargo.

9. there are 11 out of 13 tankers operational, 3 waiting for cargo and 8 loading or discharging or sailing between ports.

I do not know where you obtained your information from but I believe you will now realize that it was wildly wrong.

Yours faithfully, Captain Thomas Allsop allsapt@pdvsa.com Safety & Quality Auditor PDV Marina S.A.

<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic News Posted: Sunday, March 30, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

Quinto Dia columnist Miguel Salazar says he is struck by the government's blessing of the recall referendum and has learned that younger military officers are not so happy either. 

"I think calling a general election would have been much better because in a general election the President would not be forced to burn bridges as he has by approving the recall referendum." 

If Chavez Frias loses, he has to go, period. 

If he wins, he may be tempted to accelerate the process which would not be convenient for Venezuela.

Salazar argues that general elections would clear the air and oxygenate the democratic system everyone wants to preserve. 

If Chavez Frias wins a general election, it could prepare the way for the necessary change as regards a correct strategy in tune with reality ... if he loses,  the power struggle will continue but attuned to democratic conscience. 

"Winning or losing a general election, it will push aside a political figure that is currently looming behind the recall referendum and what Salalzar describes as a Creole version of Anthony Quinn, namely a 'taita,' somebody like Rafael Caldera ... he has his imitators and would-be "national saviors" ... then, there is Carlos Andres Perez laying in wait in Santo Domingo.