JOAQUÍN RIVERY TUR – Granma daily special correspondent –

CARACAS.— President Hugo Chávez successfully closed the World Solidarity with Venezuela Encounter; a four-day conference in the capital that demonstrated the strength of the Bolivarian people’s struggle to carry their dreams forward.

After greeting Carlos Lage and other visitors, President Hugo Chávez declared that neither the economy nor financial markets are able to dictate to the world because, to date, they have led the world down turbulent paths.

He expressed his gratitude at the clarity and passion of the ideas and suggestions expressed throughout the meeting, and stated that "the world is as important to us as Venezuela and if this wasn’t so, the Revolution wouldn’t be Bolivarian."

He emphasized that revolution and solidarity should be globalized, adding that this World Meeting had exceeded all expectations and should be repeated in the future, as it had been very fruitful.

Chávez mentioned that he and Evo Morales had discussed the idea of organizing a meeting in Venezuela for the continent’s indigenous populations. Some of the comrades in Miraflores Palace had also pressed for a campesino meeting and there were plans to stage a World Youth Festival in Venezuela as well.

He recalled that, shortly before he died, Bolívar had thought that he was not getting anywhere but, as Chávez pointed out, he is more alive today than ever before.

"Today we are commemorating the first popular victory of the 21st century," he stated. "And one of the reasons for this success can be attributed to what Túpac Amaru said when they were tearing him into pieces. He announced that he would return to the earth in a million different pieces."

Today the Venezuelan people cannot be manipulated by media campaigns and are taking up their own battles to defeat any internal or external attempt to set back the Bolivarian Revolution, he added.

The President stressed that today there is a driving force behind the Revolution and nothing or nobody can stop it. He went on to say, "we can only walk down the road of revolution, it is the only one allowed."

LAGE’S SPEECH

Carlos Lage made a brief speech on behalf of the Cuban delegation to express gratitude for the profound show of solidarity that Venezuela has given to the Cuban Revolution.

"It was almost impossible to walk the streets without someone approaching and saying ‘Viva Cuba,’ or sending greetings to Fidel and the Revolution. Even to the point of making unnecessary excuses for the terrorist aggression against the Cuban embassy in Caracas." He underlined that "the Cuban Revolution arose from our history, from our realities and the unity of our people and the wise leadership of comrade Fidel have beaten 40 years of imperialist blockade. The Bolivarian Revolution is born from Venezuela’s history, from the roots of the Venezuelan people, and it is here – and we must not forget this – that the struggle for Latin American independence began 200 years ago.

"Yesterday afternoon I saw the Bolivarian Revolution with my own eyes and I touched it with my own hands. I left the hotel where I was staying and I climbed the hills, Las Malvinas, Tamarindo, Gran Colombia. We visited people’s houses and when we came out there was a sea of children with their parents, chanting to us, ‘Ooo, aah, Chávez is not going.’ "

Reuters, 04.15.03, 5:55 PM ET

CARACAS, Venezuela, April 15 (Reuters) - Venezuela on Tuesday signed a contract to supply Korea Southern Power Co. Ltd. (KEPCO) <15760.KS> with 300,000 tonnes of boiler fuel orimulsion annually through 2006, the state news agency Venpres reported. The South Korean state-run power monopoly had purchased its first cargo of the fuel in January from Venezuelan state oil firm Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), the world's sole provider of orimulsion. Orimulsion, a mixture of 70 percent extra heavy crude oil and 30 percent water, is produced in Venezuela's vast Orinoco tarbelt and used for direct burning at power plants. PDVSA also exports orimulsion to China and Italy. Shipments of orimulsion were disrupted during a two-month oil strike started Dec. 2 by foes of President Hugo Chavez.

<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic News Posted: Tuesday, April 15, 2003 By: Oscar Heck

VHeadline.com commentarist Oscar Heck writes: According to a recent article in the Boston Globe: “Enrique Salas Romer, who lost to Chavez in the 1998 election and may run again, says the opposition coalition is now focusing on a single theme -- the economy. Unemployment is close to 30 percent, according to unofficial estimates … “We're now entering a new phase in which the debate will center around human rights -- mostly the right to eat,'' Romer said.”

What a farce!

Typical of the Venezuelan opposition! I hope that no one will believe statements such as: “…human rights -ú the right to eat.”

The vast majority of the Venezuelan middle and upper classes (the majority of the opposition people) really couldn’t care less about poorer Venezuelans!

I will explain: Romer is equating “the right to eat” with “human rights.” Fulfilling a “dream” such that every Venezuelan has enough to eat, is the typical and historical middle-to-upper class tactic to justify their “civilized” and “acceptable” control of Venezuelan society!

It has “always” been enough (for the upper classes - the 20%) that the 80% has enough to eat … and nothing more! Nothing more!

Chavez is trying to make sure that the poor have:

• access to food at good prices (by-passing speculators)
• access to good education (with filled stomachs)
• the ability to start their own businesses (not having to depend on a “boss” who pays minimum wage)
• dignity, not to get pushed around with lies and threats from the upper classes
• the ability to complain and report corruption and abuse
• and much more…

The above list (what Chavez is attempting ... but much being sabotaged by opposition people) represents only a partial list of what the ruling classes do not want.

• They do not want the 80% to be well-educated, otherwise they will have to share real jobs with “others” who are not part of the “mafia” families (e.g. PDVSA’s surplus employees).
• They do not want the 80% to know how to defend themselves, so that they can keep on abusing them under threat of dismissal or death (e.g. forcing employees to sign papers in support of the mafia-organized stoppage).
• They do not want the 80% to feel dignity, otherwise the will have to import maids (slaves?) from some other country (and pay higher wages!).
• They do not want the 80% to learn how to start their own businesses, otherwise the “cheap labour” work force will diminish, forcing them to pay higher wages and lowering their profits from 3000% to 1000% !

As for a political platform based on “the economy” ... this is another joke.

Who ruined the economy? Chavez?

No, it was the opposition themselves, including Romer, a staunch supporter of that “criminal” opposition. Now “they” want to propose ideas to “fix” the economy? I would not trust these guys for a second!

The opposition wants a referendum. If Chavez loses the referendum and elections are called, it is almost sure that Chavez will win (with an estimated vote of 40-45%). What will the opposition mafia do then?

• Will they continue to use illegal, unethical, immoral and criminal methods to continue trying to oust a democratically elected leader from power?

My prediction is, yes. They seem to have learned very little in the last year: a failed USA-backed coup, a failed two-month CTV/Fedecamaras-led stoppage of Venezuelan industry, a failed attempted shut-down of the Venezuelan banking system, a failed teacher’s stoppage in January 2003, a futile call for an unofficial referendum do dissolve the present government … and finally, the falling-apart of collaborative relations between different sectors of the opposition.

Oscar Heck Oscar@vheadline.com

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Our editorial statement reads: VHeadline.com Venezuela is a wholly independent e-publication promoting democracy in its fullest expression and the inalienable  right of all Venezuelans to self-determination and the pursuit of sovereign independence without interference. We seek to shed light on nefarious practices and the corruption which for decades has strangled this South American nation's development and progress. Our declared editorial bias is pro-democracy and pro-Venezuela ... which some may wrongly interpret as anti-American. --  Roy S. Carson, Editor/Publisher  Editor@VHeadline.com    © 2003 VHeadline.com All Rights Reserved.  Privacy Policy Website Design, hosting and administration by: Integradesign.ca 

<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic News Posted: Tuesday, April 15, 2003 By: Juan Francisco Salas Romero

VHeadline.com reader Juan Francisco Salas Romero writes: In response to Captain Thomas Allsop: Thank you for your comments and the final conclusion is as follow: M/T "MORUY": belonging to Shell International Marine Ltd., the digest of charter requirements for crude and product carriers, the heating cargo system of the vessel shall be capable of the carriage of cargo at a temperature up to 85º C (for crude and black oilers). With storm weather (seawater temperature of 5ºC and a air temperature of 2ºC) the cargo must be raised from 44º C to 66º C in a time of 4 days at sea and normal speed.

You know this norm ... and, also, you know that under the conditions of cargo tanks no. 1 (starboard, center and port) present serious problems because the steam arrives condensed.

I have personal experience in this matter.  So, it is necessary to have working two boilers.

Another position is equivalent to put the vessel under restricted conditions.

M/T "AMBROSIO, MORICHAL, MORUY, PARIA", your horizon is only to 2010.

Sorry, this point of view is not the very best. It is an evident reason of over costs for PDVSA.

It is necessary to add the convenience flags of the vessels, the intermediate manager of Hanseatic Shipping and the precarious situation of PDVSA and PDVSA-Marine oil tankers.

Dear Captain: I know this matter and I keep my position. Please, PDVSA is now under a very low level of production.  So, is inevitable the deficit and the over costs. The way that leads to privatization is free.

If you have a Planning & Preventive Maintenance Program, it is impossible to have the fleet under the current situation. In general, the vessels are under restricted conditions. Is your criteria but not the best way for PDVSA,

Juan Francisco Salas Romero jsalasr@telefonica.net

Oil & Gas-Petroleos de Venezuela and the Revolution let us review some of the contrasts between what PDVSA has given and what the revolution is doing with the money

Our editorial statement reads: VHeadline.com Venezuela is a wholly independent e-publication promoting democracy in its fullest expression and the inalienable  right of all Venezuelans to self-determination and the pursuit of sovereign independence without interference. We seek to shed light on nefarious practices and the corruption which for decades has strangled this South American nation's development and progress. Our declared editorial bias is pro-democracy and pro-Venezuela ... which some may wrongly interpret as anti-American. --  Roy S. Carson, Editor/Publisher  Editor@VHeadline.com

<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic News Posted: Tuesday, April 15, 2003 By: VenAmCham

VenAmCham's Jose Gregorio Pineda (chief economist) and Jose Gabriel Angarita (economist) write: Venezuela's economic policy seems to be turning in circles as far as foreign exchange management is concerned. That conclusion springs from statements by Planning Minister Felipe Perez, who announced that the government will return to a band system in the third quarter of the year and will combine that measure with as tax on foreign exchange transactions.

The band system would be very similar to the one applied by the Central Bank (BCV) up to February 2002. A central parity rate would be set, around which the bolivar could fluctuate freely according to supply and demand, subject to daily review and adjustment based on the average market rate in the 45 previous days; the fluctuation limit would be 7.5% above and below the central parity rate. There would be no quantitative restriction on foreign exchange purchases, but there would be a 5% (Tobin) tax on such purchases.

Unfortunately, this return to the band system occurs only after the failure of the floating exchange rate and exchange control arrangements, following a year of high macroeconomic volatility that has yielded Venezuela the worst macroeconomic performance in its contemporary history, in economic growth terms.

The question is whether the authorities can lift the exchange and price controls (and the interest rate controls to be imposed in the near future), since the economy's fragile state would only stimulate the economic agents to seek refuge for their assets in a hard currency like the US dollar.

There is already so much pressure on the economy that this announcement seems extremely difficult to bring to fruition. Though foreign reserves have grown quite substantially during the period of exchange controls, the country's fiscal problems and economic deterioration have been very serious, suggesting that the demand for dollars will surge once the controls are lifted.

It should also be noted that this goal is in open conflict with that of keeping interest rates relatively low; to induce the exchange rate to fluctuate within the band limits it will be necessary to spend reserves and raise interest rates enough to encourage the economic agents to hold bolivares.

Maintenance of relatively low interest rates is of key importance, especially in today's fiscal scenario, since the authorities have been making strenuous efforts to swap bonds nearing maturity and avoid an "unsustainable" spiral of internal indebtedness. To accomplish that, both interest rates and the volume of new borrowing must be lower.

In pursuit of that goal, the Finance Ministry held the seventh internal debt swap auction last Thursday, placing 58% of the offered bonds; it offered 803 billion bolivares and was able to swap 465 billion bolivares of those securities. The most striking thing about the auction is that nearly half the debt was taken up by State agencies; in addition, the average yield on the new securities came to 44%.

There is no question that the intention of lifting the controls and returning to a band system would run up against the obstacle of the country's grave fiscal problems, management of which requires low interest rates. But low interest rates would undermine the band' credibility and might drag the country to a new stage of this economic policy circle in which we would again be offered a floating exchange rate or an exchange control system as a solution to the problem.

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Our editorial statement reads: VHeadline.com Venezuela is a wholly independent e-publication promoting democracy in its fullest expression and the inalienable  right of all Venezuelans to self-determination and the pursuit of sovereign independence without interference. We seek to shed light on nefarious practices and the corruption which for decades has strangled this South American nation's development and progress. Our declared editorial bias is pro-democracy and pro-Venezuela ... which some may wrongly interpret as anti-American. --  Roy S. Carson, Editor/Publisher  Editor@VHeadline.com