<a href=asia.reuters.com>Reuters. Fri April 25, 2003 03:16 PM ET
By Pascal Fletcher
CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Foes of leftist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said on Friday they would launch a campaign to hold a referendum on his rule this year after his government backed away from signing an internationally brokered election deal.
Organization of American States officials announced on April 11 that the government and its opponents had initially agreed to hold the referendum after Aug. 19. to end months of turmoil in the world's No. 5 oil exporter.
The signing of the agreement, which set no date for the poll, had been due to take place after Easter. But Chavez's government, which survived a coup last year and an opposition strike in December and January, demanded changes to the accord, infuriating the opposition and raising doubts about the vote.
The delay was a setback for OAS Secretary-General Cesar Gaviria, who has spent more than five months brokering negotiations to try to resolve the long-running conflict over the turbulent rule of former paratrooper Chavez.
Opposition leaders, who brought hundreds of thousands of supporters onto the streets in huge anti-Chavez protests over the last 18 months, said they would hold a national campaign for the referendum, starting with Labor Day marches on May 1.
"Our strategy is to advance down the path toward a recall referendum," opposition negotiator Alejandro Armas told a news conference in Caracas.
Lacking strong leadership or clear strategies, Venezuela's determined but divided opposition is struggling to reorganize since the recent anti-government strike failed to dislodge Chavez, a fiery populist who was first elected in 1998.
OPPOSITION SUSPICION
Opposition leaders have accused the president, who failed to seize power in a botched 1992 coup, of trying to block the referendum, which is foreseen under the constitution. By law, the poll can be held after the president completes half of his current term on Aug 19. His full term ends in early 2007.
"The referendum is going to happen ... whether an agreement is signed or not," opposition leader Rafael Alfonzo, an anti-Chavez businessman, told reporters.
Government negotiators led by Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel objected to several clauses in the accord, including one which said that the OAS, the U.S.-based Carter Center and the United Nations would act as guarantors of a referendum deal.
Chavez, who is accused by his foes of ruling like a dictator and trying to impose Cuba-style communism, has said he will not accept any foreign meddling or pressure.
But he has insisted his government does not fear a vote and has challenged his foes to collect the necessary signatures -- 20 percent of the electorate -- to trigger the referendum.
Fueling opposition suspicions that he wants to torpedo the vote, Chavez has repeatedly insisted the National Assembly must first appoint a new National Electoral Council to set a date for the referendum and oversee the election process.
He also wants the national electoral register to be carefully checked, alleging it is plagued with errors such as false identities and dead people's names.
The efforts of OAS chief Gaviria to clinch an agreement on the referendum have been backed by a six-nation "group of friends" including the United States and Brazil.
"It is very important for Venezuela ... that an agreement be reached as soon as possible," U.S. ambassador to Venezuela Charles Shapiro said. Former U.S. President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Jimmy Carter has also helped with the negotiations.
"“The life of the nation is at stake"
-Hugo Chávez, President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
Hugo Chávez Frías, president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a patriotic soldier, a tireless worker, uniquely charismatic, a friend of the poor, an enemy of imperialism, and a model revolutionary leader.
Alex Contreras with President Chávez in Miraflores: During the course of the World Gathering of Solidarity with the Bolivarian Revolution, which ran from April 10 to 13 in Caracas, I had two opportunities to speak with President Chávez – first, at a lunch in Miraflores Palace for about 30 intellectuals and social activists from around the world; and second, at a private dinner with three fellow Latin American leaders.
People close to the president describe him as a man of boundless energy and an incredible work ethic: a natural leader and an uncompromising individual.
When Chávez arrives at the Government Palace, he makes quite an entrance. He responds to a salute from his security guards with a slap on the back and friendly hello. "How you doing?" he asks them. They chat and laugh all the way to his office, as Chávez gets the latest news and his schedule for the day. Colonel Jorge Barrientos Fernández, a man very close to the president, confessed that Chávez is like a river: “the more you throw at him, the higher he rises.”
A Government of the People
Just like the president, people from all sectors of Venezuelan society can enter Miraflores Palace. It’s estimated that every day more than fifty people try to
On April 13 in Caracas, Venezuelans reject the coup of a year ago and celebrate the Day of Dignity. Photo: Alex Contrerassee the president every day, and more than 700 write letters, with various demands. All of these petitions are answered. By presidential order, the staff is instructed to attend to all the demands of the people, from the smallest to the most complicated.
At the luncheon that Chávez hosted on April 12 in Miraflores’ Bayacá Hall, Colonel Barrientos was seated to my right, and answered all my questions about the head of state.
“The president is an example for all of us,” he said. “He starts working at six in the morning and doesn’t quit until after three AM. He has extraordinary energy, and this gives us a lot of strength.” Although the military no longer has the privilege it did under previous administrations, soldiers are willing to give their lives for the “proceso,” or change process. That’s one thing that makes the Bolivarian Revolution different than many others – the revolution is supported by the masses, but also by the military.
The president’s security chief, Barrientos, has known Chávez since he was a cadet. “He was always a leader, a role model, and a man of unbending will,” he said. “He was never a conformist, and would give us long talks about the revolution.” The top officers of all three branches of the armed forces, he said, support the Venezuelan revolution; the opposition traitors’ numbers are small.
In Spite of the Media Blackout
Although the Venezuelan commercial media – controlled by giant multinational corporations and under pressures from the US government – attack the Bolivarian government twenty-four hours a day, one can’t help but see important changes here, changes that benefit the public.
During the last two years, the government has built 150,000 new housing units. Fifteen thousand of these units were handed over to the victims of catastrophic foods that hit the coastal state of Vargas in 1999. Three thousand Bolivarian Schools have opened, where children get the attention and adequate nutrition they once lacked. More than two million people have drinkable running water for the first time. More than three thousand Venezuelans have received free medical treatment in Cuba. Millions of small farmers have benefited from the “Land Law,” which redistributes unused farmland. The government has tripled the public university budget and raised teachers’ salaries. The privatization of the electric, gas, and water industries has been stopped.
Thousands of men and women fill Bolívar Avenue on April 13, 2003. Photo: Alex ContrerasAs he listed these achievements, the Colonel beamed with pride. This is the “proceso” – the change process supported by the majority of the people of Venezuela, and rejected by the “squalid ones” whose numbers grow smaller every day.
At this time, President Chavez began to speak. “In Venezuela,” he said, “we are developing a model of struggle against neoliberalism and imperialism. For this reason, we find we have millions of friends in this world, although we also have many enemies."
Chavez wore a dark suit, a white shirt, and red tie, at the luncheon. Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage, US sociologist and noted analyst James Petras, the Argentinian activist and leader of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo movement Hebe Bonafini, the Brazilian Landless Workers’ Movement representative Jaime Amorín and others were also there. Chávez, as promised, kept his comments brief.
The Hurricane has Begun
Around one in the morning on Monday, April 14, Chavez received three indigenous leaders, all major figures in their own countries, at Miraflores. This authentic journalist had the privilege of witnessing the president's meeting with Bolivian congressman and coca-growers’ leader Evo Morales, Ecuador's indigenous leader Blanca Chancoso, and Honduran peasant farmers' leader Rafael Alegría.
Rafael Alegrìa of Honduras, President Hugo Chávez, Blanca Chancoso of Ecuador, Evo Morales of Bolivia, and Narco News correspondent Alex Contreras, in the Palace gardens.From an unlit garden, Chávez emerged from the shadows wearing jeans, a t-shirt and blue sneakers. This was a casual affair. “Hey, careful Evo, we want you alive!” was the first thing Chávez said as the three greeted him excitedly.
A small table for five people was served. “I don’t drink,” said Chávez, “but let me offer you some wine.”
“We know how to drink, and to make a toast,” someone answered. “To Bolivarian unity!” They shared a smoke as well.
The first thing the leaders talked about was security – the security of the Bolivarian leader, but also of the other leaders, organizers, and activists, opposed to the global policies of the US empire.
I’m sure you will understand, kind readers, that the subjects these leaders went on to discuss were off the record. After the four had spent more than an hour in sincere and relaxed conversation, the time came to say their goodbyes, with a handshake, an embrace, and, of course, a group photo as a souvenir.
“The hurricane of revolution has begun,” Chávez told them, “and it will never again be calmed.”
“We’ll keep the flame burning, comandante,” responded Alegría, the Honduran farmers’ leader.
"We will return, and there will be millions of us,” said Chancoso.
“Thank you, President Chávez,” said Morales, who almost won the Bolivian presidency last year. “I leave here full of ideas for the struggle ahead in 2007,” the next general election in his country.
As we left Miraflores, around three in the morning, the president was just receiving the Cuban delegation, headed by Vice President Carlos Lage. One of the security guards at the palace told us that they have adjusted to Chávez’s rhythm.
“It’s all for the revolution,” he said. “Revolution is synonymous with sacrifice. We should all be willing to sacrifice ourselves for a better future for our children.”
As we walked through the halls and courtyards of Miraflores, from where the fascist coup led by businessman "Pedro, the Brief" Carmona" massacred the Venezuelan people one year ago, I remembered the words of President Hugo Chávez:
“Faced with the outrageous excesses of the powerful, our only alternative is to unite… That’s why I call upon all of you to globalize the revolution, to globalize the struggle for the freedom and equality of mankind.”
<a href=ogj.pennnet.com>Oil & Gas Journal
Sam Fletcher
Senior Writer
HOUSTON, Apr. 25 -- Energy futures prices were mixed Thursday as ministers of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries meeting in Vienna surprised the market by raising their collective production quota by 900,000 b/d to 25.4 million b/d on June 1, effectively promising to reduce recent overproduction by 2 million b/d.
"The bulk of the 'cuts' needed to balance supply (under OPEC's new quota) and demand in the very short run was provided in late March by OPEC's new shadow member—the coalition forces who 'liberated' Iraq," said Adam Sieminski, industry analyst at Deutsche Bank AG, Germany.
OPEC's decision Thursday was similar to its move last December in simultaneously raising official quotas while reducing actual production. But this time, "OPEC's surprise quota increase unnecessarily confused the market at a time when there is sufficient uncertainty already present, with debate over the return of Iraqi (oil production and export) volumes and concerns over economic recovery and the impact of the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) virus on petroleum demand," said Matthew Warburton, UBS Warburg LLC, New York, in a Friday analysis.
OPEC mistake?
Since world oil inventories are now near record lows, OPEC's "mistake" is not as bad as the one it "made in Jakarta in late 1997 when it endorsed overproduction ahead of the Asian (financial) crisis," Warburton said. However, he said, "By its actions, OPEC has partially undermined (its) substantial recovery in credibility achieved over the last 3 years."
Warburton had anticipated "an unofficial OPEC-10 (minus Iraq) production reduction of 1.5 million b/d over the next 2-3 months from current OPEC-10 production levels of 26.2 million b/d and a reaffirmation of the existing 24.5 million b/d quota. This would have had the double benefit of increasing global inventories at a rate marginally above seasonal norms, as well as preparing OPEC for the reintroduction of Iraqi volumes into world markets later this year."
The second half of this year "may well be dominated by demand uncertainties and an interplay of Iraqi (oil production) growth and Saudi (Arabia's) restraint," said Sieminski. He estimates that OPEC production in May and June will average 25.5 million b/d—26 million b/d, including Venezuela's heavy oil—"as the Saudis gradually lower their own output to accommodate whatever exports are managed from Iraq."
Venezuela and Iraq
On Thursday, OPEC raised Venezuela's production quota to 2.92 million b/d from 2.82 million b/d previously. Although Venezuelan officials claim the country's oil production has recovered to nearly 3 million b/d following a crippling 63-day general strike, many outside observers doubt if Venezuela's production or exports have rebounded to pre-strike levels.
No production quota was set for Iraq. "Our contacts in Washington suggest that Iraq is unlikely to begin exporting again until the (United Nations administered) oil-for-food program is renewed sometime after its June 3 expiry. The strategy of the US administration appears to be to use the next few weeks to inspect oil facilities, make repairs, get Iraq's refineries working again, and begin establishing a temporary governance structure in the country," Sieminski said.
"Waiting until after June 3 to push for exports is seen as strengthening the US-UK position in the Security Council debate at the UN regarding the administration of Iraq's oil," he said. "OPEC ministers set another meeting for June 11 in Doha, Qatar. In our view, this date ties in nicely with the early June battle shaping up at the UN on Iraqi oil."
Moreover, Sieminski said, "By allowing a quota boost now, the ministers are giving themselves a higher base from which to make cuts (to accommodate Iraqi exports). A 'soft landing' for oil prices looks plausible in our view."
Meanwhile, Chevron Nigeria Ltd., a subsidiary of ChevronTexaco Corp., said that, since Apr. 4, it has gradually increased production in the Escravos area of Nigeria to a plateau of 310,000 b/d and has lifted the force majeure declared a month ago as a result of civil unrest in that area. The company set no timeframe for a return to full production, however.
Futures prices
The June contract for benchmark US light, sweet crudes dipped by 1¢ to $26.64/bbl Thursday on the New York Mercantile Exchange, while the July position advanced by 2¢ to $26.35/bbl. Unleaded gasoline for May delivery jumped by 3.12¢ to 87.93¢/gal. Heating oil for the same month was up 2.23¢ to 77.3¢/gal.
The May natural gas contract dropped 9.5¢ to $5.47/Mcf on NYMEX as the US Energy Information Administration reported Thursday the injection of 61 bcf of gas into US underground storage during the week ended Apr. 18. That compares with the withdrawal of 48 bcf of gas the previous week and the injection of 69 bcf during the same period last year. US gas storage now stands at 684 bcf, down 891 bcf from a year ago and 573 bcf less than the 5-year average.
Meanwhile, outages at two US nuclear facilities have resulted in incremental demand for 400 MMcfd of gas since October 2002. Reports of a minor leak at a third unit in South Texas could add another 300 MMcfd of incremental gas demand until that plant is brought back on line in late summer, said Robert S. Morris on Thursday at Banc of America Securities, New York.
Projections for 40 of the largest US gas producers indicate that US gas production dropped by 1.8% during the first quarter of this year, compared with the same period in 2002, said Morris. However, he said, "Companies tend to be optimistic regarding their production outlook, and since we started tracking the largest public producers in early 2000, actual reported results have come in about 0.5%, on average, below initial projections."
Moreover, he said, "Excluding the impact of storm-related shut ins in the Gulf (of Mexico) and price-related voluntary curtailments (of gas production) in the first quarter last year, our models indicate that US natural gas production (during the latest quarter) would have declined nearly 5% (since the first quarter of 2002) and around 1.5% (from the fourth quarter)."
IPE, OPEC prices
In London, the June contract for North Sea Brent oil gained 7¢ to $24.33/bbl Thursday on the International Petroleum Exchange. The May natural gas contract lost 1.1¢ to $2.61/Mcf on IPE.
The average price for OPEC's basket of benchmark crudes plunged by $1.17 to $23.97/bbl Thursday.
<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic News
Posted: Friday, April 25, 2003
By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue
Police Detective Branch (CICPC) general commissioner, Carlos Medina confirms that Army Colonel Giuseppe John Piglieri is a key part of investigations into the Colombian consulate and Spanish Embassy and Teleport bombings.
Medina did not say whether the Colonel actually took part in the bombings but he did stress the importance of Piglieri as suspect in the latest plot against President Hugo Chavez Frias' government. "We expect to making a number of arrests in the next few days."
According to sources, the police have collected evidence after tracing phone calls in the areas where the attempts took place.
Meanwhile, as VHeadline.com has already reported today: Army Captains, Ricardo and Alfredo Salazar Bohorquez have asked the Dominican Republic Embassy for political asylum. Both officers, sons of General (ret.) Alfredo Salazar Montenegro, who fought the 1992 military rebellions, took part in the Plaza Altamira revolt. The arrest of Colonel Yucepe Piliery was the reason for the two men's decision to seek political asylum.
The two brothers, along with 6 other officers, have arrest warrants on their heads for their part in the April 11 coup.