Granma

Oil companies producing at full capacity

In spite of Venezuelan demonstrations for peace and government criticisms of the US aggression against the Iraqi people, Rafael Ramírez, minister of energy, has stated that his country will guarantee supplies of crude oil to that market.

A member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Venezuela emphasized that its position is no different to that of the other associates, while maintaining that the common line is "not to turn oil into a political weapon."

The fifth reserve of oil in the world and at eighth place in terms of exploitation, Venezuela will continue sending 13% of U.S. oil imports, according to the minister.

For his part, in his weekly broadcast to the nation, Chávez explained on March 28 that the oil companies are functioning at full capacity, meaning that the normal 3.14 million barrels produced prior to opposition sabotage through a two-month strike designed to provoke chaos and derail the country, have been recouped.

The positive operating of this sector is key to national development, as exports and essential derivatives make up 50% of the national budget.

"We are once again exporting gasoline, and are charging for delayed payments from international clients," the Venezuelan president emphasized, adding that invoicing had been brought up to date, as delays on payment were due to the alleged misplacement of bills for last November, which are being completed now.

In the context of achievements made in the area of crude oil, Chávez announced that Brazilian and Italian firms had expressed interest in an "oil for housing" exchange program, in relation to which he has asked for a feasibility study, reported PL.

Given the oil industry’s recuperation, he highlighted the feasibility of assigning a stock of 3.14 million barrels as payment to housing construction firms. "With one million barrels (which we can produce in six hours) we can construct 4,000 houses, based on a price of $25 USD per barrel," he stated.

In this way, he underlined that "the proposed exchange program with Brazil and Italy forms a part of the Oil for the People Program, through which it is planned to use the industry’s potential to solve social problems."

INTEREST IN CLARIFYING THE INCIDENT IN COLOMBIA

"We want Colombia to be a sister nation. From now on, we are going to put things in place, mutually respect each other and work and build together," affirmed the South American president, in what was considered by many analysts to be a goodwill gesture aimed at maintaining good relations with his country’s Colombian neighbors.

The statement came after recent incursions on the Venezuelan border by Colombian paramilitary groups and the decision by Caracas to bomb several of their camps. Colombia had previously accused Chávez’ government of supporting insurgent groups, an action denied by Chávez on various occasions.

He stressed that a meeting with his Colombian counterpart, Alvaro Uribe has been scheduled for the near future with the aim of "clarifying matters and talking frankly."

Nevertheless, the amicable language used by the leader of the Bolivarian Revolution reiterates the fact that his government "does not and will not allow the entry of guerrillas or paramilitaries into Venezuela, which shares an extensive border of 2,219 kilometers with Colombia."

"Venezuela only wants peace with Colombia," and to this end, he emphatically stated that the country "will not lift a finger to support a war in that country but will fight for a negotiated and diplomatic solution to the Colombian conflict."

URBAN AGRICULTURE IN CARACAS

In association with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Chávez recently opened an agricultural cooperative in the center of the capital city Caracas. It covers an area of 3,880 square meters with a capacity for producing some 75 tons of root and fresh vegetables, in order to aid the government’s efforts to guarantee adequate nutrition through the Special Program for Food Security.

According to Chávez, this and other upcoming measures are in line with concrete efforts to alter the chaotic neoliberal system introduced into the country decades ago. The Bolivar 1 farm (an urban agriculture endeavor) is just one of the many social transformations that are gradually being developed throughout the South American country; the greatest expression of which was seen in last January’s Agrarian Reform Act, when Venezuelans of humble origin were granted land ownership titles.

Space war incorporating terawar.com

PARIS (AFP) Apr 04, 2003 Higher crude prices have made the 2003 first quarter a lucrative one for oil companies but their shares continue to fall on markets still jumpy about the situation in Iraq, analysts said on Friday.

The average price of a barrel of benchmark Brent crude rose to 30.59 dollars (28.53 euros) in the first three months of the year, boosted from 26.38 in the previous quarter on the back of concern about weak oil stocks, a national strike in Venezuela and, of course, the Iraq war.

Despite the rich first-quarter pickings this promises for majors such as Royal Dutch/Shell, BP, Eni, TotalFinaElf, ExxonMobil and ChevronTexaco, all have seen their share prices tumble or, at best, stagnate.

"The market is expecting the price of oil to fall again and does not believe it can remain sustainable above 30 dollars a barrel," said one market-watcher who preferred not to be named. "It's looking a bit further ahead."

TotalFinaElf, the French oil giant, has seen its stock value fall almost 15 percent in the first three months of the year, while Italian rival Eni has lost 19 percent and Royal Dutch/Shell 11 percent.

Nevertheless, the increase in prices is expected to have a big impact on company profits, with production costs remaining unchanged at around seven dollars a barrel for the most efficient producers.

"Transport and insurance costs may have increased a little, but that's marginal compared with the extra profit derived from the price increase," the same expert said.

Some companies could expect first-quarter profit to be "double what it was in the first quarter of 2002", he said.

"The first-quarter results will be excellent," agreed Antoine Leurent, an analyst with KBC Securities in Paris. "That's certain now."

Leurent said the improvement in profit would outweigh the negative effect of the weaker dollar on European oil firms' revenues.

Increased profitability from refining operations would also boost their bottom lines.

Leurent added that speculators believed the war would be short but would not be of much benefit to the oil companies, and were selling oil shares in favour of oil futures.

The extreme volatility of oil prices due to the tense international situation was also making it difficult to make predictions for the rest of the year.

The current "anomaly" of rising profit and falling share prices would come to an end if the Iraq conflict shows signs of approaching an outcome, Leurent said, predicting a correction "at both ends" simultaneously.

"Once we're on the way to a resolution we'll have more visibility," he said.

<a href=www.caribbeancricket.com>caribbeancricket.comPosted: Wednesday, April 2, 2003 by George Alleyne, Newsday/TT

CARICOM economies, bruised by the slide in the United States economy which began in the fourth quarter of 2000, and aggravated by the air assault on New York's World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001, are experiencing collateral damage from the US-United Kingdom invasion of Iraq.

The reluctance of many North Americans to travel by airliners or at all, as a result of the September 11 tragedy, had seen a marked drop in visitor arrivals in the Caribbean, whether in transits or stopovers, resulting in a decline of revenue from tourism as a principal contributor to real GDP growth of the island States. In turn, the further contraction of the United States market meant that manufactures from non-energy based Caricom industries, along with regional agricultural products, were now experiencing unusual difficulty in gaining access to the US. Caricom agricultural produce and products, which had for long enjoyed relatively large 'ethnic markets' in such cities as New York, Houston, Miami and Washington were adversely hit by the reality of September 11.

This arose when many Caribbean migrants lost jobs or had reduced work weeks flowing from the contraction of the United States economy. This inhibited their ability to purchase familiar products from their Caribbean countries. Yet another contributing factor was the competitive edge that products and produce imported from other countries, for example Mexico, had on Caricom exports. Thus, in a time of less spending money in North American Caribbean communities, sentiment had to take a back seat. The backlash in the Caribbean Community saw a loss of jobs, and consequently a loss of personal income, and along with this declining Government revenues from income tax, corporation tax and Value Added Tax among others.

Real GDP growth in Barbados, as documented by the Latin American Monitor, Regional Central Banks, slipped from 3.7 in 2000 to minus 2.3 in 2001, and barely edged up to 0.5 in 2002. In Trinidad and Tobago, the real GDP growth moved downward from 4.0 in 2000 to 3.5 in 2001 and 2.5 in 2002. And while, this downward movement did not altogether result from the same factors as had troubled, say Barbados, nonetheless September 11 had and continues to have a negative impact. A critical reason was that Caricom is Trinidad and Tobago's second largest market after that of the United States.

The protest by the Government of the United States to the World Trade Organisation on the issue of preferential entry of Caribbean bananas to the European Union, threw the banana industry in Eastern Caribbean States into confusion and decline. Taking a broad view, the US was seeking to protect the interests of Central America-based United States owned banana producing companies. And while I am concerned at the effect on Caricom banana exporting countries, again if I take a broad view, the US was seeking the welfare of US-owned companies at a time when its overall economy was in trouble. It is a lesson that we here must learn, and which should encourage us to "think Caribbean first", war or no war.

Whether or not we in the Caribbean are opposed to the United States-United Kingdom intervention in Iraq, specifically as it has been done without the sanction of the United Nations, we are involved, albeit regrettably, through the impact of the worsening of the slide of the US economy on our economies. Several Caribbean companies, id est cross listed companies with shareholders throughout the region, will be affected (indeed are already being affected) by the invasion of Iraq. BWIA West Indies Airways, (not unlike the US airline major, American Airlines), has been hit by the downturn in airline bookings, which first reared its proverbial head in the 2000 slide in the US economy, and was worsened by September 11, 2001, and made grimmer by the Iraq adventure.

What Trinidad and Tobago and the rest of the Caribbean have to appreciate is that BWIA's Revenue-Expenditure position was hit hard not only by the drop in new bookings and/or the purchase of airline tickets, but the cancellation of tickets bought prior to September 11, and indeed prior to two weeks ago. Several industries are being hurt by BWIA's and American Airlines' drop in North America to the Caribbean seat sales as they relate to far better days. The hotel and guest house industry, the taxi transport industry, restaurant, catering industry; the specific airline catering industry, curio sales, haberdashers and what have you . Agriculture, too, is being hit.

As a result, shareholders, large and small, of several of these industries are likely to be affected in the medium and long term. For example, a regional company, with not insubstantial investments in airline catering services in Venezuela, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Brazil, Ecuador, Paraguay and Uruguay, as well as an airline and airport catering involvement in Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Grenada can not be faulted for an understandable interest in a return by airlines to former seat sales. Should the Government of Trinidad and Tobago have to cut back on its plans for housing construction, due to a shortfall in revenue should any prolonged war over Iraq have an adverse multiplier effect, then this would impact on the cement company here, as well as on some of the downstream steel companies.

Other Caribbean corporate majors will also be affected by any fall off in earnings through retrenchment, occasioned by a downturn in the several regional economies, provoked by the war in Iraq. An extension of the conflict by the United States of America and the United Kingdom to say North Korea, the Sudan and Iran, and the shortages in foodstuffs and items, with a lower priority than that given to those 'needed' for the 'successful prosecution' of the war, will trigger inflation. We are unwilling victims of a war whose principal objective appears to be United States control of major supplies of oil.

Runnersweb.com Posted: April 4, 2003

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (April 2, 2003) - U.S. elite triathlete Joanna Zeiger got her 2003 season off to a strong start with a victory Sunday at the Amatique Bay International Triathlon Union (ITU) International Triathlon in Guatemala.

Zeiger (Baltimore, Md.), who also won this event in 2002, finished the Olympic distance course (1.5k swim, 40k bike, 10k run) in 2 hours, 20 minutes, 20 seconds. Julie Pittsinger, a former U.S. elite who now competes for Canada, was second in 2:22:46 and Yaricel Romero of Cuba was third in 2:28:53.

Allison Hardy (Arden, N.C.) was fourth.

In the men's race, 2002 U.S. elite national champion Seth Wealing (Remington, Ind.) was the top U.S. finisher in fourth. Argentina's Daniel Fontana won the race in 2:01:14. Paulo Miyashir of Brazil was second in 2:02:07 and Giberto Gonzalez of Venezuela was third in 2:03:23.

Wealing was followed by Christoph O'Donnell (Cambridge, Mass.) in fifth and Marcel Vifian (Santa Rosa, Calif.) in sixth.

On Sunday in Mexico, Alexis Waddel (San Ramon, Calif.) placed second at the Valle de Bravo International Triathlon, finishing the Olympic distance race in 2:29:45. Eugenia Barrera of Mexico was first in 2:25:32 and Lauren Groves of Canada was third in 2:31:14.

Kelly Rea of Marietta, Ga. finished fifth.

In the men's race, Chris Valenti (Boulder, Colo.) led the U.S. team by placing fourth in 2:10:05. The winner was Javier Rosas of Mexico in 2:06:59. Bruno Arochi of Mexico was second in 2:08:14 and Carlos Probert of Mexico was third in 2:09:59.

Jeff Sneed (La Canada, Calif.) was sixth and Jim Carothers (Denver, Colo.) was seventh.

Complete results from both events are posted at www.triathlon.org.

The ITU elite triathlon season begins in earnest next Sunday with the first World Cup race of 2003 in Ishigaki, Japan. The U.S. team there will consist of world No. 1 Barb Lindquist (Victor, Idaho), Laura Reback (North Palm Beach, Fla.), Becky Gibbs Lavelle (San Jose, Calif.) and Victor Plata (San Luis Obispo, Calif.).

The following weekend is the first stop in the USA Triathlon Race to Athens elite series. The St. Anthony's ITU World Cup Triathlon on April 26 in St. Petersburg, Fla., will feature all the top U.S. triathletes including Barb Lindquist, Sheila Taormina (Livonia, Mich.), Laura Reback, Joanna Zeiger, Susan Williams (Denver, Colo.), Hunter Kemper (Longwood, Fla.), Joe Umphenour (Bellevue, Wash.), Brian Fleischmann (Jacksonville, Fla.), Victor Plata and Mark Fretta (Portland, Ore.).

Complete start lists are posted at www.triathlon.org.

The 2002 Monster Challenge ITU International Triathlon will be shown on the Outdoor Life Network at noon on Friday, April 4. The race was the U.S. qualifier for the world championships and featured many top U.S. elites.

The Post (Lusaka) April 3, 2003 Posted to the web April 4, 2003 Larry Moonze And Brighton Phiri Lusaka

THE Iraq war is not far from Africa, Women for Change (WfC) executive director Emily Sikazwe has warned.

Condemning the United States led war on Iraq, Sikazwe wondered what would stop British Prime Minister Tony Blair from asking for assistance from US President George W. Bush in dealing with the Mugabe regime in Zimbabwe.

"We must not remain in silence again when women, men, youths and children are being denied the right to life due to selfish motives of George W. Bush and his allies," Sikazwe said. "The war on Iraq is a precedence based on the disregard of the legitimate processes of the international community.

It is clear that USA is a double speaker and playing double standards when it comes to adhering to international covenants on war." Sikazwe said the WfC was in support of a Croatian non-governmental organisation's cancelling of a grant contract which it received from the American government in solidarity with the people that were dying as a result of the uncalled for war. She said that was the spirit needed to show the American government that they were not above other states and the UN.

Sikazwe said the war was merely on economic interests by the American government to control the natural resources of Iraq. She said it was a well known fact that the USA government financed and supported most evil regimes that perpetuated conflict in some countries such as the Taliban (Afghanistan), Jonas Savimbi (Angola), Augusto Pinochet (Chile) and Mobutu Seseseko in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo). She said the USA made economic gain from sale of arms at the expense of millions of lives that have been lost as a result of these wars. "The invasion of Iraq by the United States and its allies Britain and Australia, without the UN Security Council approval clearly demonstrates that the USA and its allies have contravened and usurped the authority and mandate of the United Nations with impunity believing that money power will buy us all into submission," Sikazwe said. "The world watched in silence when Adolf Hitler of German massacred millions of Jews and watched in silence when there was a genocide in Rwanda." Sikazwe said the British and Australian governments' decision to send troops to Iraq was irresponsible and most unfortunate as it was against the will of the people. "Let us learn to dialogue, war will lead us to no- where," Sikazwe said. "We want no war. The British, American and Australian people have said no to war against Iraq yet the governments of these people went ahead against the wishes of the people." Sikazwe said to understand why Bush was attacking Iraq again, one must know that the main suppliers of oil in the middle east is Saudi Arabia. She said the rapture of their relationship could not be mended because Osama Bin Laden, a Saudi Arabian was allegedly involved in the terrorist movement and because the international public opinion was against Saudi Arabia due to lack of respect for human rights. Sikazwe said to find an alternative, the easiest way was war on Iraq because Iraq cannot defend itself, it offered an easy excuse to justify the attack to the international community that knew nothing about oil deposits and until now Iraq did not have the support of a powerful nation that would be in a position to withstand the American threat.

She said in the last three years, a social revolution had taken place in Venezuela, the greatest supplier of oil for USA, following USA government's failed attempt to topple the government. Sikazwe said the Bush administration had to find an alternative supplier to Saudi Arabia and Venezuela hence fell on Iraq.

"We want peace, we say no to war. Our hearts go to the people of Iraq whose children are being slaughtered everyday.

Our hearts go to the young men and women of the allied forces who are being exposed to danger in the name of Bush and his allies," said Sikazwe. And UNIP national secretary for youth affairs Frank Musonda has called on the International Court of Justice and War Crimes Tribunal to cite Bush and Blair for war crimes.

Musonda said Bush and Blair should be held responsible for the loss of life, displacement of people, destruction of Iraq's infrastructure and using weapons of mass destruction on an independent state.

"The UN must be democratised and reformed, equality in relations between member countries must be improved, veto power and double standards must be rejected," he said. Musonda said imperialism was becoming more aggressive with the US and its allies acting as special police who intervened in internal affairs of weaker countries.

He said policies of imperialists had dominated, especially after the dissolution of the Soviet Union and socio-economic and political changes in Eastern European countries. He said it was sad that the UN was now being controlled by the US and its allies.

Musonda said the new world order and implementation of neo-liberal policies had negatively affected the lives of majority of people in the world.