<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic News Posted: Sunday, March 30, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

President Chavez Frias has handed over land deeds and agricultural credits to more than 400 peasants in the border State of Apure.

The media has picked up on the President's cue from Pope John Paul II  that private property over land  is not sacred. "If land is left idle and unproductive, others should have the right to produce on it."

Launching another idea during the visit to Apure, Chavez Frias hints that lands could be handed over to military garrisons to grow food for soldiers.

The President says he wants to hand over 1.5 million hectares of land and land deeds to peasants this year. It is part of his policy to depend less and less on imports and to create a different attitude towards the land.

Speaking to peasants, Chavez Frias announced the creation of food wholesale micro-businesses to include a new economic sector into the provincial economy and his Zamora Agricultural Plan.

Reuters, 03.30.03, 2:04 PM ET

CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuela is guaranteeing supplies of oil to its clients in the United States despite President Hugo Chavez's vocal opposition to the U.S.-led war in Iraq, Venezuelan Energy Minister Rafael Ramirez said Sunday. Left-winger Chavez, who has angered Washington in the past by maintaining friendly ties with Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, has sharply criticized the U.S. and British military campaign against Baghdad, especially the civilian casualties it has caused. Venezuela, the world's No. 5 oil exporter, is a major provider of crude oil and products to the U.S. market. Iraq's ambassador to Venezuela urged the world's oil producers to halt shipments to the United State and Britain. Speaking on local television in Caracas, Ramirez said Chavez's anti-war stance was no different to the positions expressed by other governments in the United Nations and by other members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. "The position that we have always maintained in OPEC, and it is the policy of this government, is that oil should not be converted into a political weapon," he said. "We have guaranteed the supply of oil to all of our clients in the United States," Ramirez added in an interview with the private Televen television channel. Venezuela normally supplies more than 13 percent of all U.S. oil imports. Chavez, who has strengthened ties with states seen as hostile by Washington, like Iran and Cuba, infuriated the U.S. government in 2000 by traveling to Baghdad to become the first head of state to meet with Hussein since the 1991 Gulf War. Any decision by Venezuela on its oil production and exports would be taken within OPEC as a group, Ramirez said. Venezuela, whose output and exports were slashed by a crippling opposition strike against Chavez in December and January, has been working to get oil operations back to normal since then. Oil exports are the country's economic lifeblood and account for around half of government revenues. Since the anti-Chavez strike fizzled out early in February, Venezuelan officials have gone out of their way to convince the U.S. government that their country will remain a reliable supplier of crude and oil products. The government insists oil production has been restored to pre-strike levels of 3.1 million barrels per day. Striking oil workers, more than 16,000 of whom have been fired by the government, have put current output at around 2.45 million bpd. Ramirez said the stoppage, which tried but failed to force the Populist Chavez to resign and hold early elections, cost the country's strategic oil industry $6 billion in lost revenues and damage to installations.

<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic News Posted: Sunday, March 30, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

Venezuelan Labor Minister Maria Cristina Iglesias has visited the International Labor Organization (ILO) HQ in Geneva to defend the Venezuelan government's handling of the December-January national stoppage. 

Iglesias has told the ILO Administrative Council that Federation of Chambers of Industry & Commerce (Fedecamaras)  and Venezuelan Confederation of Trade Unions (CTV)  leaderships organized a "financial coup against the Venezuela government, which was aborted by massive support from workers and the People."

Calling the national stoppage a "lockout," Ms. Iglesias refuted accusations that the government is persecuting Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA)  workers and employees. 

• CTV general secretary, Manuel Cova was in Geneva last week to defend CTV president, Carlos Ortega, Fedecamaras president Carlos Fernandez and top PDVSA executives. 

Oil Workers Federation (Fedepetrol) president, Rafael Rosales accompanied the Minister and spoke at a specially convened conference on Venezuela at Geneva University.

<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic News Posted: Sunday, March 30, 2003 By: Thomas Allsap

Date: Sat, 29 Mar 2003 08:39:27 +0000 From: Thomas Allsap allsapt@pdvsa.com To: Editor@Vheadline.com Subject: Re: Half of Venezuela's merchant navy tankers

Dear Mr. O'Donoghue: With regards to your article, it seems to be short of fact and long on fiction.

1. Five of 13 is nearer a third and not half, as per your headline.

2. PDV Marina is not the Venezuelan Merchant Navy. This is a much larger fleet that incorporates all merchant ships flying the Venezuelan flag.

3. At present, there are no PDV Marina ships in dry dock. Two ships are awaiting repairs. These are "Ambrosio" and "Paria".

4. "Paria" and "Caura" have not lost their international classification. On "Paria," the Certificate of Class is in suspension pending outstanding surveys that were due to be completed by 31-12-02. The certificates on "Caura" are all in date and she is free to trade when her next cargo is nominated. The only "lack of maintenance" involved was the failure of the previous PDV Marina management to dry dock "Paria" last December.

5. the asphalt carrier "Inciarte" does not have a split, nor is she in danger of losing her certification. The ship did have a split in a ballast tank that was discovered when we were carrying out a thorough inspection after the ship was recovered from the striking staff (to check for sabotage). The damage was clearly not new and the ship had been trading for some considerable time with this damage. Repairs have been completed and, for the last week, "Inciarte" has been waiting for an asphalt cargo and is due to load and sail shortly.

6. "Ambrosio" does have damage in a ballast tank and also on two main cargo loading/discharging lines on deck.  Again, the damage was discovered during the thorough inspection carried out after recovering the ship. We consider that the previous management were quite negligent and criminal in that they did not discover and repair the damages when "Ambrosio" dry docked last year (2002). The damages were very obvious.

7. "Moruy" does not have problems with the main engine. When we recovered the ship, both main boilers were in damaged condition. We repaired one, traded the ship safely for a few coastal voyages, and then brought her back to anchor whilst we repaired the other boiler (the ship is perfectly capable of operating safely with only one boiler operative). This work was completed on Friday and the ship will continue operations.

8. "Pilin Leon"  is not at anchor with engine problems. The ship is due to arrive off Bajo Grande tonight to discharge a multi-grade cargo.

9. there are 11 out of 13 tankers operational, 3 waiting for cargo and 8 loading or discharging or sailing between ports.

I do not know where you obtained your information from but I believe you will now realize that it was wildly wrong.

Yours faithfully, Captain Thomas Allsop allsapt@pdvsa.com Safety & Quality Auditor PDV Marina S.A.