Venezuela halts oil tankers to Dominican Republic
Reuters, 05.08.03, 6:12 PM ET By Manuel Jimenez
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (Reuters) Venezuela has held back deliveries of three tankers of oil to the Dominican Republic, officials said Thursday, but no reason was made public in the Caribbean nation.
Some sources in Dominican President Hipolito Mejia's government speculated however that the move could be a protest by Caracas at the granting of asylum last month by the Dominican authorities to two military officers opposed to Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez.
Amaury Justo Duarte, president of the Dominican Oil Refinery, REFIDOMSA, confirmed to Reuters the sailing of the tankers had been halted, but added he did not know the reason.
"I cannot say that this decision was caused by political reasons," Justo Duarte said in a telephone interview. "We found out on Wednesday that the vessels had not been authorized to leave, but we do not know the reason for the decision."
Other Dominican government sources said the reason was not financial, adding the country was up-to-date on payments.
Justo Duarte did not give a figure for how much oil was to be brought in on the three tankers but said it was not a large quantity. He added the move by Venezuela would have no impact on local fuel supplies, as the refinery had been obtaining crude and derivatives on the spot market.
The two Venezuelan army captains sought asylum in the Dominican Embassy April 24. The Dominican Foreign Ministry said a week later the government had decided to grant asylum to brothers Alfredo and Ricardo Salazar Bohorquez.
Both said they were politically persecuted by Chavez's government, which survived a brief coup a year ago and is locked in a bitter battle with opponents that included a crippling two-month strike that lasted until February.
The Dominican Republic has asked Venezuela to quickly grant passage to the two men to travel to the Dominican Republic. Justo Duarte said the Dominican Republic took delivery three weeks ago of the first tanker -- of 650,000 barrels of crude and liquid petroleum gas -- from Venezuela since a halt in deliveries last December amid the strike.