<a href=reuters.com>Reuters Thu April 17, 2003 02:15 PM ET By Richard Waddington

GENEVA (Reuters) - The United Nations' top human rights body kept up the pressure on Cuba over its rights record on Thursday by urging the Communist state to accept a visit by a U.N. envoy to probe alleged abuses.

But the 53-state Human Rights Commission spurned a tougher resolution from Costa Rica, backed by Washington and the European Union, demanding freedom for some 75 dissidents recently handed lengthy jail terms on the Caribbean island.

Presented by four Latin American countries -- Peru, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Uruguay -- the approved text merely called on Cuba to accept a commission decision taken last year that the envoy should visit.

Cuba has so far refused to let French magistrate Christine Chanet into the country because it says the U.N. should focus instead on the U.S. Guantanamo naval base, where Washington is holding captives whom it suspects of terrorism.

Mexico, one of 11 countries on the commission to back the call for the envoy's visit, said the "procedural" measure aimed only at winning cooperation from Cuba, where Marxist leader Fidel Castro has run a one-party state for more than 40 years.

"The Mexican vote will be consistent with its principles not to condemn or to criticize Cuba," said Mariclaire Acosta, Mexico's Deputy Minister for Human Rights and Democracy.

But Cuba, which sees the vote as interference in its domestic affairs, lashed out at the four Latin American countries behind the resolution, calling them "disgusting lackies" who had bowed to "shameful" pressure from Washington.

"The sole object has been to concoct a pretext to justify the genocidal blockade and policies of aggression that the United States has practiced for 40 years," ambassador Jorge Ivan Mora Godoy told the commission ahead of the vote.

POLITICALLY CHARGED

Votes on Cuba are traditionally among the most politically charged at the annual meetings of the 53-state commission, with Latin American countries, even those most closely aligned with Washington, feeling that they have to tread carefully.

Argentina and Brazil both abstained, while Venezuela joined Cuba in voting against the motion. It was approved by 24 votes to 20, with nine abstentions.

Thursday's decision came only after the Costa Rican amendment condemning the recent jailing of dissidents for up to 28 years, and another draft presented by Cuba attacking the U.S. economic embargo, were both defeated.

The move by Costa Rica caught its U.S. and EU allies off guard and forced a 24-hour delay in the vote on Cuba, which had initially been set for Wednesday.

European diplomats, who had previously lobbied hard and unsuccessfully with Latin American countries for a stronger text, feared that the late maneuver by Costa Rica could have pushed more votes into the Cuban camp on the main resolution.

But in the end the margin was wider than last year, when Cuba lost by just two votes.

U.S. ambassador Kevin Moley welcomed the vote but said he would have preferred a more critical resolution to reflect "the egregious violations of human rights that have taken place since this commission began."

He was referring to both the jailing of the dissidents and last week's execution of three men who hijacked a Havana ferry in a failed bid to reach the United States.

A number of countries, including Russia and China, backed Cuba's demand that the commission also condemn the U.S. economic embargo as a human rights violation, saying such an amendment would add "balance" to the resolution.

<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic News Posted: Thursday, April 17, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

Veteran political analyst, Domingo Alberto Rangel says he has reached the conclusion that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Frias and Brazilian President Lula da Silva represent sectors of the Venezuelan and Brazilian oligarchy respectively because neither has declared an intention to abolish private property and taken any definite steps in that direction. 

"There is a big difference between the two." 

The oligarchy that surrounds Lula is " coherent, lucid and a really dominant strata" with two outstanding intellectuals: Alencar and Meirelles, whereas Chavez Frias'  oligarchy is "uncouth, social climber and predatory. "We are seeing a replay of the old relationship between a messianic warlord and an oligarchy with its own ambitions." 

Tackling Brazilian-Venezuelan bilateral relations, Rangel states that the recent treaty with Brazil shows the superiority of Lula and his team. 

Rangel forecasts that in twenty years South America will be a concentric continent with everything turning around the axis of Brazil.  "To ignore this fact is stupid but to surrender to it, will be suicide."  

"The Brazilians won this particular battle with the treaty and we must remember that Brazilian interests and not ours are top priority for them."

The treaty grants Brazil the right to use eastern Venezuelan port facilities and allows their vehicles to travel overland between the two countries. There is no doubt it will benefit our deprived eastern zones. 

Rangel points out somewhat bitterly that it is exactly the same concession that Chavez Frias' stupid foreign policy withdrew from Colombia in 1999, showing the inferiority complex our military officers feel towards their Colombian counterparts ... "the more trucks that crisscross our highways whether from Brazil or Colombia, the better for our economy." 

"Venezuela should demand equality of conditions or at least compensations for allowing other nations to use our highways." 

Rangel comments that the principle has been forgotten in Brazil's case ... " I think it didn't even cross the mind of the Venezuelan negotiators (I don't know them)."

It is not a question  of asking for permission for Venezuelan trucks to reach Manaus. 

Venezuela should have wrenched a concession from Brazil for the right of Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) and subsidiaries to lay a pipeline between Anaco or El Tigre and Manaus. ... the right to build a refinery in Manaus and a network of gasoline station through the North Brazil.

Wrapping up his argument, Rangel points out that the 60-days oil stoppage in Venezuela demonstrated that the USA and Europe can rescind of Venezuelan oil supplies completely and once oil wells in the Caspian Sea and Mediterranean start operating, Venezuela will be even weaker. 

"We must seek new markets and diversify clients ... the only strong emerging market is Brazil which will soon become the second or third economic power in the world. Manaus has been an economic center before and will be again. Venezuela could provide it with oil."

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Reuters, 04.17.03, 1:16 PM ET

CARACAS, Venezuela, April 17 (Reuters) - Venezuela's Planning Minister Felipe Perez said on Thursday he expected the battered economy to contract only between 3 percent to 5 percent this year, painting a far more rosy outlook than Wall Street analysts, the IMF and even a fellow minister.

Perez, whose forecasts are often criticized by private economists as unrealistic, wrote in a note posted on his official government Web site that preliminary estimates saw inflation at around 27 percent for this year.

"As far as economic growth is concerned, we are saying minus three to minus five percent. There will be a fall in the first quarter from the previous one, but then there should be a continued recovery that will give us this range of figures for the whole year," Perez said.

But his upbeat view contrasted sharply with those of the private sector and of Finance Minister Tobias Nobrega.

Nobrega told Reuters earlier this week that the oil-reliant economy would contract by nearly 9 percent in 2003, a similar fall to last year.

In February, the government introduced a fixed exchange rate and strict currency controls in an effort to slow capital flight, protect the battered bolivar and shore up international reserves.

Ratings agency Standard & Poor's on Wednesday forecast Venezuela's economy would shrink about 15 percent, while the International Monetary Fund, urging the government to ditch the currency curbs, forecasts a huge 17 percent contraction.

Venezuela's economy is in steep decline after a year of political turmoil and a two-month strike by opponents of President Hugo Chavez curtailed the vital oil production of the world's No. 5 petroleum exporter.

Oil accounts for 50 percent of government revenue and about 80 percent of its export revenue.

Venezuela's gross domestic product shrank nearly 9 percent last year and annualized inflation, through slowing on a monthly basis, has already reached 34.1 percent this year.

The currency controls have starved the economy of dollars for nearly three months as officials try to fine tune the messy application process for businesses to access U.S. currency.

In his message, Perez also clarified comments made in the United States that the government could end the foreign exchange control system in the third quarter.

Nobrega and Central Bank officials had denied such plans, saying there was no fixed time frame for such a move. Last year, Perez squabbled publicly with Central Bank officials over monetary policy.

"I have always said that the duration of the currency controls depends on the conditions that caused them. I believe that we could begin to see those conditions improve around the third quarter. No decision has been made yet," he said.

But Perez said the government aimed to replace the current fixed rate with a crawling peg or sliding depreciation mechanism accompanied by various taxes on different foreign currency transactions.

He said he expected such a proposal to be presented to the National Assembly within the next two weeks.

The government has said currency controls would remain in place until the nation's weakened oil sector recovered from the debilitating impact of the two month strike.

State oil firm PDVSA estimates oil output is now over 3 million barrels per day, equal to production levels before the strike. But dissident oil workers have said crude output remains lower than government estimates.

<a href=www1.internetwire.com>internetwire.com

MIAMI, FL -- (INTERNET WIRE) -- 04/17/2003 -- Under the newsworthy theme of "Survival 101," AvNews Latin America & Caribbean will sponsor its 11th annual international conference of airline CEOs on May 4 and 5 at the deluxe Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, Florida. Keynote speakers will be Angela Gittens, who has been making history as director at Miami International Airport, and Ned Homfeld, chairman of up-and-coming low cost Spirit Airlines.

The conference is built around four panels, which include some of the most successful executives and savvy experts in international civil aviation:

"The Survivor Panel"

The conference starts in high gear on Monday morning as experts Richard Hollowell, Jonathan Leak and Tom Salerno will respectively tackle crucial subjects like crisis management and recovery techniques, fuel management, and bankruptcy as a means for restructuring airlines around the world. Moderated by Conference Chairman, Marshall Sinick, this panel provides unique opportunities for audience participation in search of knowledgeable answers from the panelists.

"Cargo -- Key to Survival Panel"

Moderated by veteran cargo executive, Bill Spohrer, the four panelists -- Rob Zoller, CEO KittyHawk; Freddie Jacobsen, CEO Tampa airlines; Dick Haberly, CEO Arrow Air and Roberto Bianchi, Senior VP Lan.Chile Cargo -- will describe their experience in many markets, from domestic U.S. to international from the U.S., as well as prospects for foreign carriers. A most useful panel at a time when cargo is contributing to the profitability of many airlines, both all-cargo and passenger/cargo.

"The CEO Panel"

The centerpiece of the conference, moderated this year by aviation consultant and former Editor in Chief of Aviation Daily, Mike Miller, this impressive panel includes the following CEOs from Latin America and the Caribbean: Enrique Cueto, Lan.Chile; Federico Bloch Grupo TACA; Juan Emilio Posada; Alianza Summa; Pedro Heilbron, Copa Airlines; Conrad Aleong, BWIA; Ernesto Asbun, Lloyd Aereo Boliviano; and Nelson Ramiz, Aeropostal Alas de Venezuela.

"Virtual, and other Alliances Panel"

The morning session on Tuesday will be moderated by Jim Forster of Group Systems America, Inc. who has an outstanding record in developing Internet website products that enable international airlines to expand their booking and other services in what he calls "virtual alliances." The panel includes Jaan Albrecht, CEO, STAR Alliance; Tom Anderson, Senior VP, Spirit Airlines; Rick Blake, Senior VP, Cayman Airways, Juan Arbelaez, VP-North America, Alianza Summa, and Ray Neidle, Airline Analyst, Blaylock & Partners LLP.

This year's conference has 25 International and Domestic Airlines registered with CEOs from 22 attending and participating.

For more information on the conference and sponsorship opportunities visit the conference Web site at www.ceoconference.com.

<a href=ogj.pennnet.com>Oil & Gas Journal Marilyn Radler Economics Editor

HOUSTON, Apr. 17 -- Despite oil supply disruptions in some key countries, other oil exporters have increased output to assure consumers will be adequately supplied. This, said the International Energy Agency in its latest Oil Market Report, has placed a "wall of crude" on the water waiting to arrive in key consuming regions. Oil exporters have been positioning crude in these regions to mitigate the potential impact of a prolonged supply disruption.

Meanwhile, industry crude oil stocks in Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries are low, and product stocks are trending sideways. Amid heightened geopolitical uncertainty, refiners—prepared to pay a premium for short-haul supply to avoid longer-term commitments—have limited their purchases of long-haul crude. Although the market is in backwardation—with the futures price lower in distant delivery months than in near delivery months—due to uncertainties, prompt supply is increasingly available.

Production IEA estimated worldwide oil production increased 740,000 b/d in March following a 2.25 million b/d increase in February. Higher output from Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait offset declines in Nigeria and Iraq, boosting total output from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries by 95,000 b/d. Spare capacity within OPEC, excluding Iraq and Venezuela, fell to 1.23 million b/d in March, down from 1.67 million b/d a month earlier. Non-OPEC supply was up 240,000 b/d.

During March, war in Iraq suppressed production by a little more than 1 million b/d, and ethnic violence in Nigeria eroded output by 200,000 b/d. IEA reported that Venezuela, whose production is still recovering from the recent 63-day strike, saw a 490,000 b/d increase in conventional crude output and a 293,000 b/d boost in nonconventional crude output. Oil production increased 450,000 b/d in Saudi Arabia and 245,000 b/d in Kuwait.

March OPEC oil output excluding Iraq was pegged at 1.4 million b/d above current targets. When the organization met Mar. 11, it left quotas unchanged, although there has been speculation that targets would be lowered for the second quarter when demand traditionally dips. If oil output were to be cut while OECD stocks are low and concerns persist over summer gasoline supply, the industry's ability to replenish stocks could be hit.

"Industry stocks need to be rebuilt from current tight levels, and demand itself will begin to rise again from second quarter lows, potentially gaining nearly 3 million b/d by yearend. With spare capacity limited, any prolonged disruption in Iraq, Nigeria, or elsewhere would only highlight the near impossibility of sustained and effective seasonal market management," the agency said.

OECD inventories OECD commercial oil stocks fell 34 million bbl in February, ending the month down 229 million bbl from a year earlier. Forward demand cover stood at 50 days, 6 days off year-ago levels and only marginally higher than at the end of January.

OECD industry crude stocks ended February down only 1 million bbl, and North American inventories fell due to a draw in Mexico. With peak maintenance under way in the US, crude demand fell, reducing the need to build inventory. OECD product stocks fell 35 million bbl during February to 125 million bbl below year-earlier levels.

Draws were centered on distillate fuels, falling in all OECD regions. Other main product categories were little changed. In Europe, gasoline stocks built on larger refinery throughputs and contracting demand.

Contact Marilyn Radler at Marilynr@ogjonline.com.