<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic News Posted: Sunday, May 11, 2003 By: Paul Graham Stanley

Date: Sun, 11 May 2003 13:35:38 -0400 From: Paul Graham Stanley stanley@angel-ecotours.com To: Editor@VHeadline.com Subject: Safety - Venezuela Travel

Dear Editor: (and travelers) ... Put your mind at rest. Venezuela has stabilized dramatically since the strike/stoppage that crippled general transportation and movement in December 2002 through the beginning of February 2003. Occasional non-violent demonstrations may still take place in a certain section of Caracas ... but far away from anywhere Angel-Eco takes its tourism clients.

The following statement was issued to us directly by the Venezuelan Deputy Minister of Tourism’s office in Caracas, to announce at a travel show at which we exhibited jointly with INATUR in Chicago recently.

“The Viceministerio of Tourism and the Instituto Autonomo Fondo Nacional de Promocion y Capacitacion para la Participacion Turistica INATUR, (a federal Agency dedicated to the promotion and social participation in the tourist activity) make public, specially to foreign tourism companies and all other individuals interested in coming to the country, that the Venezuelan government guarantees to protect the physical integrity of tourists that visit our country."

Aware of the socio-political reality ... this not being in any way exclusive to Venezuela ... extra mechanisms are being implemented to assure the normal development of activities in all sectors, with a united effort by all public and private parties in the Venezuelan tourism industry. In that sense, through a series of encounters sponsored by the Deputy Minister of Tourism, meetings have been held with tourist operators, airlines and hotel representatives, as well as service providers and tourism industry worker nationwide to regain confidence in Venezuela as the Caribbean tourist destination of excellence.

Among various measures adopted has been the writing of a document addressed to the members of the Organization of American States (OAS) “Dialogue, Negotiation & Agreements Table” ... established between the government and the opposition to resolve problems that have overshadowed the nation in an effort lead by OAS Secretary General Cesar Gaviria. A declaration of designated "no-conflict zones" has been requested, exempt from all political confrontation: Nueva Esparta, Paria, Mochima, Los Roques, La Gran Sabana and the Canaima National Park ... and all such positive action as will guarantee security, freedom of direct or indirect commerce and freedom of transit in a way that will serve the best interests of tourists throughout Venezuela ... "the Venezuelan government qualifies its invitation to all travelers to enjoy the diversity that Venezuela offers to the world.”

As the statement holds, a document has been passed to all authorities to give visitors greater peace of mind and a greater sense of security when traveling to the interior of Venezuela. Fellow tour operators, camps and services want to see the unfair severity of the US governments’ travel advisory redefined. We believe from our personal experience that it is absolutely safe to travel when one makes a booking through a reputable company which accompanies clients on arrival to Caracas.

For our part, Angel-Eco Tours has been able to conduct tours virtually issue-free during the extensive time frame of the recent troubles ... like everyone else in the Venezuelan tourism industry we have suffered from serious cancellations ... but not a single one of our passenger/clients has been inconvenienced in any significant manner other than occasional and simple re-routing necessary for them to “live” the experiences our adventure trips continue to offer.

Meanwhile, spare a thought for our Pemon and Warao indian partners who have suffered extensively through the unfortunate lack of sustainable tourism ... like other small groups throughout Venezuela's exotic natural wonderland, they have little comprehension of anything is happening outside of their exclusive communities in the rainforests and the jungles ... "War, demonstrations, strikes ... what's that? Where have all the people all gone?” they ask us.

Paul G Stanley stanley@angel-ecotours.com President, Angel-Eco Tours, Inc 53 Remsen Street, Suite 6 Brooklyn, NY 11201 - USA Tel/fax: +1 (212) 656-1240 Toll free US: 888 475-0873/4/5 www.angel-ecotours.com

Reuters, 05.09.03, 12:10 PM ET

CALGARY, Alberta, May 9 (Reuters) - Enbridge Inc. <ENB.TO> has applied to an international tribunal to help wrest a financial settlement from Venezuela's state oil company, which the Canadian pipeline firm says barred it from resuming a contract to run a major oil terminal, Enbridge said on Friday.

Enbridge has a 45 percent stake in the entity that ran the eastern export terminal at Jose, one of Venezuela's biggest, but has not been able to return since the 63-day general strike against President Hugo Chavez began late last year.

Since then, the facility has been operated by replacement workers enlisted by national oil company Petroleos de Venezuela SA, which has had new pro-Chavez managers installed.

"We've applied for arbitration with the International Chamber of Commerce," Enbridge spokesman Jim Rennie said. "They will put a panel together and it will be an arbitration hearing."

This week, Enbridge Chief Executive Pat Daniel said the contract included terms for settlement if his firm is not able to return to operate the facility, which has generated earnings of C$3 million ($2.1 million) annually for Enbridge over the past three years.

But Rennie said PDVSA has not responded to requests to discuss the matter.

"We haven't really received any kind of official word from the new PDVSA management," he said.

PDVSA officials in Caracas were not immediately available for comment.

Earlier this year, Chavez -- his OPEC country's crucial oil exports crippled by the strike -- accused Enbridge of abandoning and sabotaging the Jose facility, which the company has denied.

Rennie said he did not know how long the arbitration might take. "I'm told it's not a fast-moving process," he said.

($1=$1.40 Canadian)

by: OilOnline Thursday, May 08, 2003

Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA) has resumed oil production and has demonstrated its capacity for recovery. Speaking at an event held in conjunction with this year’s Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston during the week of May 5, PDVSA president Ali Rodriquez Araque said that oil production has returned to its normal level of more than three million barrels per day. Furthermore, former director of Exploration and Production of PDVSA, Luis Vielma, said at a luncheon held May 7 at OTC , “Venezuelan well productivity is low, which will require more technology and investment in the years to come.”

This return to “business as usual” in the oil markets in Venezuela and the need for new technology and investment in the oil sector has set the stage for show organizers, International Exhibitions Inc. of Houston, Texas, and Grupo B.V. de Eventos, C.A. of Caracas, Venezuela, to reschedule its’ 15th Latin American Petroleum Show for June 15-17, 2004 at the Palacios de Eventos in Maracaibo, Venezuela. Shaun Wymes, president of International Exhibitions, said, “Venezuela is a leading oil-producing nation and its pre-eminence in the world oil market is renown. As a sign of our confidence in the strides PDVSA has made in the last few weeks, we are delighted to announce the details of the 2004 Latin American Petroleum Show. The 2004 venue will be a great opportunity for attendees and exhibitors alike to return to doing ‘business as usual’ in Venezuela.”

Washington, April 28 (<a href=quote.bloomberg.com>Bloomberg) -- Alejandro Dopazo, the Venezuelan Finance Ministry's director of public credit, speaks about the country's oil production, relationship with the U.S., debt repayments and outlook for economic recovery. He speaks at a Council of the Americas Crisis and conference.

05:05 Venezuela's oil production and debt obligation payments 01:43 So where does Venezuela stand today? 03:08 The relationship between Venezuela and the U.S. 02:40 "The year 2003 will be a very difficult year..." 01:40 Dopazo discusses political differences in Venezuela. 01:42 Questions: U.S. investment in Venezuela, exchange controls 02:23 Mercosur trade block, Venezuela's relationship with Brazil 03:10 Manufacturing jobs, foreign exchange control regime

Running time 21:31. Last Updated: April 28, 2003 18:11 EDT

By Peter Wilson

Caracas, April 28 (<a href=quote.bloomberg.com>Bloomberg) -- Super Octanos SA, one of Venezuela's largest petrochemical companies, will stop production for about two weeks after an explosion and fire Friday killed one worker and injured three others.

A Petroleos de Venezuela SA spokesman said the plant suffered minor damage, mostly to instrument panels. He didn't say how much the losses totaled. An investigation is continuing.

Super Octanos produces methyl tertiary butyl ether, a gasoline additive used to boost octane and add oxygen to make fuel burn cleaner. The company is a joint venture among Venezuela's state petrochemical company Pequiven SA, Italy's Ecofuel and Venezuela's Mercantil Servicios Financieros.

The plant, in the eastern state of Anzoategui, has the capacity to produce 600,000 metric tons a year. Last Updated: April 28, 2003 12:33 EDT