Venezuela: PDVSA’s Statement about Nationalization of Drilling Rigs

Caracas – At the beginning of 2009 the Venezuela state owned oil industry Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA, in Spanish) began a process of re-negotiation of fees of all the firms that offer services in the country. In this process, which in the area of drilling rigs included the participation of 33 companies, only one, Heimlich & Payne (H&P), refused to reach an agreement.

The drilling firm H&P has kept eleven drilling units out of operation for more than a year – 10 3,000 horsepower units in eastern and western Venezuela, and one 2,000-horsepower unit on eastern Venezuela.

Spare H&P, the 32 firms – 14 national, 18 international – that performed services in Venezuela’s oil and gas sector, operating a total of 155 drills throughout the country, reached agreements with PDVSA, representing a sense of confidence in Venezuela’s state-owned firm by its national and international partners.

Regardless, as earlier indicated, and despite almost a year worth of meetings with representatives and directors of H&P, it was not possible to reach an agreement due to the firm’s intransigence.

The nationalization of the oil production drills of the contracting firm H&P will not only translate into an increase in the production of oil and gas in the country, but it will also grant over 600 workers full-time employment with PDVSA –an improvement upon the contract work they had before— and will allow the creation of other sources of work direct and indirect in the hydrocarbons sector.

For all of these reasons, in defense of the interests of the Venezuelan people and taking into consideration that the cited drills have not been in operation for over a year, PDVSA will request that the National Assembly declare them a public utility as stated in Article 4 of the Venezuelan Organic Law on Hydrocarbons.

PDVSA ratifies its intention to keep working with its privately-held partners, both national and international, just as has been demonstrated through numerous projects currently under development, under the existing legal framework and in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

Additionally, PDVSA categorically rejects the declarations made by the U.S. empire – repeated in our country by media outlets owned by the oligarchy – through which it seeks to strain Venezuela’s relations with its partners, which in the Orinoco Oil Belt alone have produced projects worth $80 billion and in which services for wells have produced a mixed enterprise with the U.S.-based firm Schlumberger, the world’s major firm in this specialty.

Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) / June 25, 2010

Venezuela calls for extradition of terrorist Posada Carriles

The following statement was posted June 15. Sorry for the late posting here:

Venezuela’s National Assembly Urges U.S. to Detain Terrorist Luis Posada Carriles


* Ambassador Bernardo Alvarez indicates that this agreement of the Venezuelan legislature tells the U.S. that it has one path in the case: “Extradite Posada to Venezuela or put him on trial in the U.S. for the crime of terrorism.”

The Venezuelan National Assembly agreed today to “urge the United States of America to respect the Extradition Treaty it has with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and begin the necessary process for the extradition of terrorist Luis Posada Carriles. The agreement was authored in remembrance of the five-year-anniversary of the filing of the extradition request for Posada, which was presented to U.S. authorities by the Venezuelan government on June 15, 2005.

The agreement was delivered by Cilia Flores, the president of the National Assembly, and was introduced by parliamentarian Aurora Morales. In attendance during the plenary session were Bernardo Alvarez, Venezuela’s ambassador to the White House, and Jose Pertierra, Venezuela’s lawyer for the extradition request. They sat alongside family members of the victims of Posada’s terrorist acts.

The National Assembly’s agreement cited the bombing of a Cubana de Aviacion passenger plane in 1976 in which 73 civilians were killed, “including the Cuban National Youth Fencing Team, a pregnant athlete and a nine-year-old girl.” Posada masterminded the attack and was detained for it in Venezuela, but he escaped in 1985 before his trial could be completed, leaving unresolved before the courts 73 charges of homicide.

Also responsible for terrorist acts in Central America and Cuba, Posada has been living freely in the U.S. since 2005, and has faced only minor immigration offenses.

“There is an extradition request made by Venezuela, in accordance with all of the necessary constitutional and legal requirements and procedures. The Supreme National Tribunal has acted, the Public Ministry has acted…Regardless, today we reach five years since the request was made and still his extradition has not been achieved,” stated Flores.

“This conduct by the U.S. government contradicts what has been the supposed war on terrorism and the accusation against other countries regarding terrorism when the most wanted terrorist of the Western Hemisphere is being protected in the U.S.,” explained Ambassador Alvarez.

“Today, with the support of Venezuela’s legislature, we tell the U.S. that it has but one path in this case – extradite Posada to Venezuela or put him on trial in the U.S. for the crime of terrorism. This is the only option that the U.S. has to confirm that it is not applying double standards in the war on terrorism,” he added.

The National Assembly’s agreement also reaffirmed Venezuela’s commitment to “grant Luis Posada Carriles his legal rights and to respect his human rights, as is established in the Constitution of the Republic.”

Venezuela and the United States signed an extradition treaty in 1922 that remains in force.

Press and Communications Office of the Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the U.S./ 15 June 2010

Venezuelans Praise Jilted Pitcher

From Venezuelan Embassy:

Venezuelan Ambassador to the U.S. Congratulates Galarraga

In a letter to Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga, the Ambassador of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in the U.S., Bernardo Álvarez, expressed his congratulations to the Venezuelan-born baseball player and highlighted that both his achievements in baseball and his humble response to a mistaken call by umpire Jim Joyce have made the Venezuelan people proud.

“For more than just your achievement I am proud to commend you for the attitude you displayed given the circumstances, notably after umpire Jim Joyce admitted his error in calling the Cleveland Indians player safe at first,” wrote Ambassador Álvarez in the letter dated June 4, 2010. “The professional decorum you displayed, much as your sensitivity when you declared to the media that ‘we are all human and we make mistakes,’ are demonstrations of your great sense of humanism that far surpasses the great dedication you have to your sport.”

“It makes us proud as Venezuelans…to know that you represent the best values of the Venezuelan people,” added Ambassador Álvarez in the letter.

During the June 2 game against the Indians, Galarraga was on his way to a perfect game – no hits over nine innings – when a late-game mistaken call by Joyce cost him the chance to be the first Tiger and 21st player in baseball history to reach the milestone. Joyce apologized to Galarraga for the call, and Galarraga humbly accepted that mistakes happen.

Galarraga has played in the Major Leagues since 2007, and is one of four Venezuelans playing for the Detroit Tigers. There are 58 Venezuelans playing for Major League teams in the 2010 season, a new record for the country.

Press and Communications Office of the Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the U.S./ June 4, 2010

US and Venezuela move forward on relations

From an exchange between a reporter and Ian Kelly, State Department spokesperson at the State Department's daily news briefing, June 24th:

QUESTION: What about Venezuela? She asked --
MR. KELLY: Oh, Venezuela, yeah, sorry. I think I have something on Venezuela. Yes.
Since Secretary Clinton and President Chavez spoke during the Summit of the Americas, both our governments have worked toward the goal of returning ambassadors to our respective capitals. We are currently taking the necessary measures to accomplish this goal. And we think that exchanging ambassadors is in the best interests of both countries. But I don’t have any names for you right now or dates.
QUESTION: So the decision is taken? It means --
MR. KELLY: The decision has been taken to – there was a – what happened was there was a – Assistant Secretary Shannon spoke to Foreign Minister Maduro, and we agreed to move forward. This was on June 22^nd, on Monday.

Sen. Levin Needs Some Perspective

Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) delivered a few disturbing remarks this weekend regard Venezuela and oil.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez warned that attempts by the US to intervene in Venezuela's internal affairs could result in Venezuela withholding its oil exports to the US – a type of economic threat the US has wielded over and over again. Chavez earlier warned that military strikes against Venezuela or Iran would result in oil prices reaching as high as $200 per barrel.

Responding to President Chavez's warning against US interference in Venezuela, Sen. Levin said that Venezuela gives a perfect example of why the US needs to become independent of oil for its energy resources. Levin added that the US shouldn't have to take threats from "dictators."

Sen. Levin is a smart guy, so one can only assume he is deliberately fudging the picture to make his point. Thinking people accept that the US has to become independent of oil, and should support the New Direction Congress and Levin's legislative efforts to make that happen. To protect the planet, we need real alternatives to petroleum (and coal and nuclear energy).

But lashing out at Chavez is gratuitous and wrong. President Chavez isn't a dictator. He has been elected three times and easily defeated an effort to recall him (partially funded by US sources) – all of these elections were judged fair and transparent.

The US involvement in the 2002 coup against Chavez, during which the US-supported coup leader unilaterally dissolved all of Venezuela's democratic institutions and essentially appointed himself dictator, gives Venezuelans some right to be wary of US interference in their affairs.

President Chavez's response to having lost the referendum yesterday (Dec. 2) was also not the action of a dictator.

The content of the reforms which he proposed were also far from an attempt to establish a dictatorship. The most controversial proposal, to eliminate term limits, is not unheard of – check out Britain's parliamentary system.

Since Chavez was first elected, Venezuela now has developed a rich political spectrum with many parties and candidates. Even with the end of term limits Presdent Chavez would have to win the majority of votes against other candidates in fair elections. That is an inherently democratic process.

Sen. Levin should be more interested in helping people here understand the truth than in making deliberately false and provocative statements.

The Price of Oil, Yesterday and Today

Did you know that the price of a barrel of oil during the first years of the Bush administration was $25 a barrel, the same price that Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez is suggesting be set for developing countries, instead of the $100 a barrel crude is going for today? Chavez’s suggestion thus, while laudable, is a return to the same price everyone was paying several years ago, which no doubt was a considerable strain for the Third World at the time. His suggestion then, seems far from radical, but merely a return to price patterns before the Iraq war. The Venezuelan president it appears is merely suggesting that the rich pay more, kind of like (and this may be comparing apples to oranges) setting taxes for the rich to pre-Bush or pre-Reagan rates. Hardly revolutionary, something even a good liberal or centrist might (and should) propose, should a political realignment take place in Congress in 2008. But when things are pushed to extremes, even a return to the status quo ante, seems radical, especially when proposed, by Latin America’s chief proponent of a new renovated 21st century socialism.

Joe Sims

Chavez Demands Lower Oil Prices

In stark contrast to George Bush, who on Tuesday, vetoed Congress's budget that provided much needed monies for healthcare, education and labor rights, Venezuela's Hugo Chavez has called for cutting oil prices for Third World nations. (Bush approved an 8 percent increase in military spending). In anticipation of an OPEC meeting on Saturday, Chavez suggested a $20 a barrel price for developing countries. According to BBC news Chavez said "I would sell oil to a rich country at $100 and to a poor country perhaps at $20," he said. He continued: "How are you going to sell oil to Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the world, at $100, the same price that you sell it to the US? It is not right ethically."

The Venezuelan president added that such a policy would be a marvelous way of redistributing the world's wealth. He expected to encounter "hard positions" on the subject at the OPEC gathering. Meanwhile India's Times newspaper reported that King Juan Carlos of Spain had told Chavez to "shut up" at a South American international conference. Chavez had called one of Spain's leaders a fascist for supporting the 2002 coup against him. If only Spain's King had told Bush to shut his face, when he commented that those favoring Congress budget were "like children with a credit card." joe sims

Poll: 3 in 5 Venezuelans Choose Socialism Over Capitalism

A recent press release from the Venezuelan President's Office reads:

Just 3.4% Venezuelans think capitalism is the best system of government according to the Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez as he referred to a poll conducted by a Venezuelan pollster called Seijas.

During his weekly radio and TV show ¡Aló, Presidente!, President Hugo Chávez stressed that the poll called Barometro de Gestión y Coyuntura Política (Barometer of Management and Political Situation), conducted between September 20 and September 30, shows interesting results.

In this regard, he highlighted that just 3.4% Venezuelans think capitalism is the best system of government, and 22.6% would choose capitalism over socialism, while 62.7% would choose socialism.

The Venezuelan president said that these figures are historical since Venezuela’s progressive movements never achieved more than 10%.

Regarding the Constitutional Reform, President Chávez said that this poll shows that 50.6% interviewees think it was necessary, while 47.3% think it will bring benefits to the country.

President Chávez also talked about the deep debate about the Constitutional Reform. He said it has been much more active than the debate about the referendum to approve the 1999 Bolivarian Constitution. Likewise, he insisted that it was necessary to reduce the historical abstention levels.

Presidential Press Office / October 8, 2007

Video: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

About the US-backed coup against Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and the people's struggle to reinstate him.

Do Communists Need a Name Change?

Communists need a name change. We do. That name has been so maligned, so distorted that it's impossible to do anything about. I mean the negatives were so great, that despite the positives, and there were many, we are just beat over the head with it and it doesn't matter. There's such a knee jerk reaction. It's never going to work.

So ranted one of the international delegates at the SACP Congress over coffee the other day. It was a little surprising considering he came from one of the more "staunch" European parties.

But he has point. While "COMMUNIST" is a universally recognized brand name, it's negative connotations are also universal.

Or are they?

Events at the South African Communist Party Congress began Wednesday with a panel on socialist developments in Latin America. Representatives from Cuba, Venezuela and Brazil presented views on the sharp left turn taken by Latin American countries. There the Communist movements a experiencing an upsurge in growth with the Communists of Brazil participating in a 11-party coalition government led by the Lula's Workers party. In Venezuela the CP has also more than doubled its size in the last years. Venezuela is also in the process of creating a new socialist party under Chavez's initiative. And of course Cuba enjoys near mythic status on the left, because of the enormous personality and contribution of the aging Fidel Castro. But that's not all, or perhaps even most of it. Cuba has marshaled victory after victory on social issues, with great strides being made in medicine, education and the environment.

By the way, South Africa's Communist Party according to convention documents has also experienced a spurt in growth with over 55,000 members filling its ranks. The number of women delegates was really striking at this Congress in stark contrast to previous meets.

So obviously in some place "brand name" is not such a big problem.

I suggested as much to the troubled speaker, pointing not to Latin America or South Africa, but to the good old USA, where trade union anti-Communist clauses have been gotten rid of now almost a decade ago and where Communists gain growing recognition and respect in peace, labor and civil rights struggles. Which is not to suggest everything is honky dory, but rather that a change has been made in the public's attitude.

I asked my new friend whether it might not be more a generational issue: with the Cold War born baby boomers being most problematic but with younger people more open. At least that has been my experience.

The assembled comrades, all of who were English speaking, paused to think about it. I wonder what blog readers think?

Upcoming international panels will be on the experiences of parties in government; building left networks in Africa and the role of progressive forces in dealing with the Middle East crisis.

One very positive European experience is in Cyprus, where the Communist of the EDON party are the biggest party in the country. They recently won the mayor's office in Nicosia, the country's capital. The experience of EDON suggests, that the name question isn't really a principled issue as the Cypriot Communists have a long proud and principled ideological history.

To me, I think a bigger problem than the name problem is narrow, sectarian and dogmatic practices masquerading as "science" under the banner of Marxism-Leninism. Knee jerk reactions to name will lessen as communists gain confidence, come out of the closet and participate in membership and circulation drives. From this point of view, those who are the most "left" are precisely those who are least willing to be known in public for what they are. And they are all baby boomers and older. But again, I wonder what folks think.

--joe sims

Venezuela's RCTV has Long Record of Law-breaking

A lot of organizations and politicians have criticized Venezuela for refusing to renew the broadcasting license of Radio Caracas Television, or RCTV.

In a press release today, the Washington-based Venezuela Information Office says the history of RCTV should be considered by Venezuela's critics:

RCTV's history of noncompliance with federal broadcasting guidelines that predate the Chavez administration. Since 1976, RCTV has been fined or temporarily closed six times, including for airing pornographic scenes, cigarette advertisements, sensationalist programming, and tendentious news coverage. Additionally, in 2002 RCTV aired programming calling on the public to take to the streets and overthrow the democratically elected president, a feat that would surely be punished by jail time and charges of treason if tried in the U.S. Yet, the station has been allowed to continue broadcasting to this day.

Venezuela's National Telecommunications Commission, which operates exactly like the US FCC, ruled that RCTV's long history of unlawful acts warranted the decision to refuse to renew the license. Venezuela's Supreme Court upheld the decision.

Olivia Goumbri, Executive Director of the Venezuela Information Office, stated that,

In the U.S. the FCC has shut down TV stations for far less. In this case though, the expiration of RCTV’s contract is an opportunity for the government to reconsider its 20 year old license, and whether or not a station which has violated broadcasting regulations and the law to such an extreme extent should have its license renewed.

RCTV will be able continue to transmit via cable and satellite. And despite the claims of those who hate the Venezuelan government, the vast majority of Venezuela's media remain in private hands, most of which oppose the policies of the government.

In a hypothetical comparison: imagine how the conservatives would howl if the New York Times called for the violent overthrow of the Bush regime and applauded his kidnapping and possible execution.

In a realistic comparison: Do you remember when right-wing pundits and politicians accused the New York Times of treason for doing little more than publishing stories with classified information purposely leaked to the press? What happens to people convicted of treason?

The point is that RCTV's record as a scofflaw and as an inciter of violence is clear. Let's not let political biases cover for phony claims of the abuse of a free press.

--Joel Wendland