www.vheadline.com Posted: Wednesday, February 26, 2003 By: Robert Rudnicki

Spanish Premier Jose Maria Anzar says he will wait for the results of a thorough investigation into the bombing of the Spanish Embassy in Caracas before he passes any kind of judgment on what occured, and who could be held responsible.

"I am not going to make any kind of hypothesis. We are waiting for investigations and conclusions by the Venezuelan government which is responsible for guaranteeing safety in the country."

The Spanish Prime Minister then refused to link the attack to a statement by his Foreign Minister Ana Palacio, which had sparked a strong reaction from President Hugo Chavez Frias.

"The aim of the statement was to express the reasonable concern that any sensible person would naturally show in connection with Venezuela's situation ... we hope things can be solved in a context of normality, stability and democratic development."

www.vheadline.com Posted: Wednesday, February 26, 2003 By: Robert Rudnicki

Venezuelan Energy & Mines (MEM) Minister Rafael Ramirez and Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) president Ali Rodriguez Araque are to visit Washington this week to meet with senior US energy officials to reassure the US that Venezuela will be able to addressing any possible oil shortage that occurs as a result of a war in Iraq.

The two men will also inform the US of the progress that is being made regarding the recovery of normal production levels in Venezuela, with the government putting current production at around 2.2 million barrels per day, while striking Petroleos de Venezuela executives put the figure at 1.5 million barrels per day. Before the national work stoppage began on December 2 Venezuela was producing 3.2 million barrels a day.

Although the final agenda is still to be decided, it is likely that Ramirez and Rodriguez will meet US Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham either toady or tomorrow.

Posted: Wednesday, February 26, 2003 By: Robert Rudnicki

The United States government has strongly condemned the bombing of a Colombian and a Spanish diplomatic mission in Caracas, insisting the explosions highlight a need to further develop the process of dialogue and negotiation being facilitated by Organization of American States (OAS) secretary general Cesar Gaviria. 

• US government spokesman Philip Reeker called on the government to "launch an expeditious and thorough investigation" of the attacks.

Speaking in Washington yesterday, Reeker said "it is regrettable  that recent events like the unsolved killing of members of the Venezuelan armed forces and police, the recent arrests of opposition activists and now today's bombings stand in sharp contrast to the commitments that were undertaken by both sides in the agreement signed on February 18, in which both the government and the opposition agreed to curb confrontational rhetoric and reject violence."

The bombings come just days after President Hugo Chavez Frias hit out against "meddling" by the international community in what he insists is a sovereign issue.

www.vheadline.com Posted: Wednesday, February 26, 2003 By: Robert Rudnicki

Senior Movimiento Quinta Republica (MVR) deputy and National Assembly foreign policy committee member Tarek William Saab has condemned the bombings of the Spanish Embassy and Colombian Consulate as "despicable" and warned that the bombings will now probably be blamed on the government.

"Before investigations have been completed opposition spokesmen are already establishing links between the acts and and followers of the government."

Saab insisted the government is trying to promote a climate of peaceful co-existence and strongly denied that any government and in particular President Hugo Chavez Frias' would ever encourage these kinds of attacks, in spite of the mistakes it has made.

Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel also spoke out against the attacks "we reject any form of terror, either state or individual," and rejected any government links to the attacks.

www.sun-sentinel.com By Joseph B. Frazier The Associated Press Posted February 26 2003

MARACAIBO, Venezuela · Under the scorching sun on Lake Maracaibo, thousands of oil wells suck up natural gas and crude oil, the wealth of Venezuela. But much more crude than usual has ended up in the water since oil workers joined a national strike against President Hugo Chávez in December, environmentalists and government critics contend. Although the walkout against Chávez has fizzled, many oil workers remain off the job. Critics say the shortage of employees and lack of know-how among those who are working is causing severe environmental damage. The state-owned oil monopoly, Petroleos de Venezuela SA, denies that. It insists spills are small and rare and that they are quickly controlled. It also blames many of the spills on striker sabotage. The situation is difficult to check independently. The oil fields have been sealed off by army and national guard troops who enforce a no-fly zone over the lake and turn back boats carrying journalists trying to get a look. "They won't let us overfly the lake to look for oil slicks anymore," said Eddie Ramírez, a former executive for the oil monopoly. "It's all militarized now. We still have people working in the oil fields who give us information. But it is getting harder to get." Crude is critical in Venezuela, the world's fifth-largest exporter and a major supplier to the United States. Lake Maracaibo, 325 miles west of Caracas, is a major producer. Since World War I, about 14,000 wells have been drilled in the lake. About 8,000 are active. Estimates vary, but between 15,000 and 28,000 miles of pipes and tubes snake along the bottom. "There is no operation in the world like this," said Felix Rodríguez, recently named by Chávez's government to head oil operations in western Venezuela. Oil operations are spread over 60 percent of the lake's 5,200 square miles. Latticed derricks poke skyward from platforms. Black pumping units bob up and down relentlessly. More modern wells rise a few feet above the water and are driven by electric pumps. About 35,000 of the monopoly's 40,000 employees went on strike Dec. 2, joining the opposition general strike aimed at forcing out Chávez, whom they blame for the country's political and economic strife. The general strike failed, but the oil walkout continues. Chávez has fired more than 11,000 oil strikers and split the oil monopoly into eastern and western divisions to tighten government control over operations. Production is creeping back to pre-strike levels, but the government says it's hampered by sabotage. The private Venezuelan Environmental Foundation said it flew over the lake on Dec. 11, before the flight ban, and sighted 17 spills. The foundation said one well was spewing oil and water more than 30 feet into the air, and experts estimated it was spilling 1,100 barrels a day. Lenin Herrera, a chemical engineer and former head of the Institute for the Conservation and Control of Lake Maracaibo, said spills of petroleum and production chemicals are a major source of contamination. "There have been unjustifiable spills since the strike. There was a spill in January that went three or four days without being fixed. Later a well spilled for two or three days," he said.